At the grocer a shiny seed packet beckons. Zucchetta Serpente di Sicilia “Serpent of Sicily” promises sweeter zucchini. I hedge my bets and plant the new seeds alongside my reliable heirlooms the Tromboncino – who each year gives huge boa constrictor sized fruits - green summer and orange winter delicacies from the same generous vines. But this year one Tromboncino dies. Then another. Though they are generally immune from disease I find an infestation – the lethal squash vine borer! Had the “serpents” brought on the disease? They remain unaffected. The remaining Tromboncino’s struggle on producing a few fruits while the serpents grow long tangled branches blocking out other plants and attaching themselves to the struggling milkweed. Do the bees not recognize the strange white flowers? Do they refuse to pollinate? The flowers fall off. Then small stumps appear but fruit does not grow. I jealously watch as my neighbor’s vines grow heavy with endless squash. I had given him seeds the year before and now he has a massive harvest. But for me it is too late to start over. I watch the serpent crawl and crawl, now crawling on my neighbor’s fence. But still no fruit. Only mocking flowers. The serpent crawls along the sidewalk and into the lawn. More and more flowers but no fruit. Our freezer waits for the accustomed harvest but there is none. Should I rip the serpents up? They are messy and unproductive. I wait. Perhaps the harvest will still come? I examine the many flowers and attempts at fruiting and think of my own artistic efforts. It is also late in the season of my life. I will wait and be patient with the mystery. Perhaps the harvest will still come.