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Sunday, April 17, 2011

Delirium



I spent the day with macro lenses on my eyes. With my camera, I stood among the low branches of the dwarf Gala apple tree outside my sunroom as bees lumbered around me. Then I meandered around the yard, finding happy bees everywhere. I finished on my knees, pinching the last and smallest weeds between my fingers among the dahlia shoots, having an imaginary conversation about trust with our oldest granddaughter. With your Tata and me, I told her, you are innocent unless you prove yourself otherwise.

She’s going to be 18 next month and she’s delirious with possibilities associated with legal adulthood. Her parents are strict. She has never been on an unchaperoned date even though she’s about to graduated from high school, and she wants to leave home to be the mistress of her own fate. I love her very much and I want her to live with us if she believes she must leave the fold. She’s a beautiful young woman, smart and motivated to be a teacher, worthy of trust. Her grandfather, my beloved, tells me we can’t intervene. I told the weeds that we will.

Spring is like this girl, ripening. The topic for this week’s Poetry Bus is Spring, ordains NanU, guest driver and science writer. My fellow passengers are linked here.


Beests

Who bee the beests upon the blossoms that bee upon the apple tree?
See thou what I mean? There, upon the leaves?
They bee everywhere, upon the tree, the bush, the lavender—
Busy little beests, with bulging thighs of pollen,
Harbingers of Spring.
Oh, sweet bee, where is thy sting,
Drunk amid the blossoms
Burgeoning on the tree?



17 comments:

Brian Miller said...

hee hee bee dont sting mee...nice little verse chris...they are surely a part of spring, i get the point...smiles.

Unknown said...

What a great post and a wonderful opportunity for your granddaughter to come and be with you if she chooses...nice post of the Beests!!
xo

G-Man said...

Chris...
The Poetic Photographer!!
Perfection!!!

The Bug said...

When I was 18 I wanted to go to college & play at being an adult, but I didn't really want to BEE an adult, actually. And I was given that opportunity. In fact, it wasn't until recently that I started really feeling like an adult & I must say I resent it.

Love your bee poem - they must just be ecstatic this time of year :)

NanU said...

Lovely poem!
We are sadly light on bees in my neighborhood this year. Pollution, pesticides, parasites; there's no consensus on why they're dying. But my apple trees can tell you there are not so many bees around are there used to bee.

Lolamouse said...

Wonderful post on the theme of blossoming! I love your pictures as well.

Monkey Man said...

Love watching those busy little critters and love your poem about them.

Peter Goulding said...

Do bees keep pollen in their thighs? I'm always amazed at the things I don't know.
Delightfully understated.

izzy said...

Haven't seen any Bees around here- course we don't have anything much out yet! Thanks-

Enchanted Oak said...

Peter, your comment about bees keeping pollen on their thighs sounds funny until you look at the first photo and notice the accumulation of pollen on the bee's rear legs. I don't know if it's their intention, but it happens. Any bee keepers among us? I could google this, but I'm lazy today.

Magpie said...

I love bees! The world would end without them. I love you beesty words. I, too, would worry about an innocent, naive young woman making her way in the world today. So many ways to go wrong...being there for her is very important.

Syd said...

I love the macro lens. Great shots. Bees are so industrious and have such a great social structure. I hope that your granddaughter will remain level-headed as she moves to adulthood.

Helen said...

Your photography is amazing! Bees make the best subjects.

Today is my granddaughter Jennifer's 18th birthday!!!!

Lucy Westenra said...

Lovely bee poem. Thanks

Totalfeckineejit said...

Beeoootiful poem Chris!
Only two bees in the garden this year.I want an apiary.
Incidentally they say if your looking for God you'll find him in the garden.If that's true, I wish he'd cut the grass.

RNSANE said...

To bee or not to bee - your garden is certainly awash with them, spreading pollen hither and yon. Wonderful pictures.

So your lovely niece is wanting to spread her wings. I can't think of a nicer place than to be with you!

Emerging Writer said...

They do bee everywhere. We have mining bees