Little honey bee, little friend asleep on my house, what passes before your anthropod eye? Do you see the garden around you or do you dream of the flowers you have seen?
Do you see the pollen you have gathered to line your hive? And on your flight to your hive, just one more flower to light on, just one more. Until you are too heavy with pollen and must return. But it is so warm today, that you come back out of the hive eager for more flowers, for bathing in the flowers and resting on hot leaves, for basking in the summer sun until the evening cool sends you back to your hive.
Asleep and dreaming of different days, oh you of the segmented legs, you of the stained glass wings, oh you of the yellow and black striped tail. What do your anthers tell you today, on this cool autumn day?
Do you sense the other flowers that wait for you on that hot July day? The reds and the yellows? The ones that you literally roll in all for the sake of the pollen, to grace the hexagons of your hive, to feed the new lives of your nieces and nephews.
O sleeping honey bee of the dwindling race, I wish you long life and health. Awake when my garden is warm again and visit my flowers, carrying pollen from flower to flower, so to make the seeds that fertilize my beds and bring me more flowers to brighten my path.
17 comments:
I like to think the bees are all dreaming of pretty flowers (like this nutty gardener does sometimes). They are our friends. I will coincidentally be posting on bees tomorrow but I'm afraid they were having nightmares by seeing me in the garden. The bees will love to wake up in your beautiful garden.
Your garden us such a haven for pollen hunting honey bees. Often, I have clients who want plants that do not attract bees, which is a shame (I understand if they are allergic though). I am always happy to see bees in my garden.
What a moving post, Mary Delle! Even thinking of the title like that shows what a compassionate soul you are! Gorgeous blooms too!
Beautiful words and thoughts...
I love seeing honey bees in my garden. Even thinking of having a bee hive in a year or two
This year I created an area with planting to attract bees and other beneficial insects. I was never so aware of nature until I became a gardener. Lovely post.
We were yesterday noticing bees and late butterflies cramming themselves onto the ivy bushes - they like the flowers so much.
Lucy
I am really amused at this thought of bee thoughts!!!!!. nice capture of passiflora too.
Mary Delle,
What sweet sentiments about the honeybee. This is our first year to keep hives and your words beautifully captured how I have often felt when working with our bees. That actually brought tears to my eyes. Lovely, just lovely.
You are very talented at prose!
What a pleasure to read.
Leo Tolstoy wrote in War and Peace an allergory of a honey bee hive and described a dying hive for nearly two pages. It was sort of sad.
These bees bless your garden...
Rosey
I enjoyed reading your post. Very creative! :)
What a delightful post and so well written.
Wonderful thoughts on bees, so critical to keeping our gardens blooming and our veggies fruiting. Truman Capote wrote a broadway musical called "House of Flowers" that has a lovely song about the sleeping bee, You should check it out. Thanks for so many visits to my blog, I'll try to reciprocate!
They are happy to rest for a bit after such a busy summer.
Mary, it's a nicely written post. pretty much articulates my thoughts when I spot bees in my garden..
I love the words of expression you use here. Very nice. Mary Delle, where do the bees go during winter?
Very beautiful words Mary Delle ... lovely poetry. These sleeping bees are a mystery.
A very pretty post, almost poetic in nature. What do honeybees dream? :) ~~Dee
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