Barbara Crooker: This Summer Day
We are still ripening
into our bodies, still in the act of becoming.
Rejoice in the day’s long sugar.
Praise that big fat tomato of a sun.
Naomi Shihab Nye: Bees Were Better
I studied bees, who were able
to convey messages through dancing
and could find their ways
home to their hives
Jean Toomer: Beehive
Earth is a waxen cell of the world comb,
And I, a drone,
Lying on my back,
Lipping honey
James C. Nieh: Unlocking secrets of the honeybee dance language
Bees learn and culturally transmit their communication skills.
Melanie M. Kirby: Nectar Nomad in the Land of Enchantment
What bees taught me about building community.
Edgar Lee Masters: David Matlock
Except as it swarms in the sun-light of youth,
Strengthening its wings on what has been gathered,
And tasting, on the way to the hive
From the clover field, the delicate spoil.
Liz Moran: Telling the Bees (for JoAnn)
Your emptiness
depends upon the bees.
Ellery Akers: Our Grief for the Earth is Hidden
When I was born
I thought I’d be taken from the earth
I didn’t think the earth would be taken from me
Sandy Solomon: Reading Suite Française
“Remove your yellow star.
Head for Switzerland or try
for Nice. Don’t write your will
Don’t imagine what the Germans feel.”
Beth Copeland: Good Intentions
It’s not the bee’s fault, Daddy says, pulling the stinger from the tender flesh of my inner arm. Look, it’s dead. It didn’t mean any harm. The honeybee, no bigger than a … Continue reading
Molly Fisk: An Apiary Has Nothing to Do with Apes
One of the things I’m good at is linking people together. Not match-making, although two couples have married who fell in love during my poetry class. Usually it’s more practical: … Continue reading
Michael T. Young: Honeybees
I’ve felt myself changed simply walking into shade along a street; I’ve come suddenly upon the scent of snapdragon or heard a distant car crash and found my every thought … Continue reading
Elizabeth Boakes: Biodiversity isn’t just pretty — it future-proofs our world
A small boy hauls enthusiastically on his fishing rod. The line flies up and a needle-spined fish strikes him in the eye. Desperate to stay outdoors, he ignores the pain, … Continue reading
Jessica Corbett: ‘Ecological Armageddon’ — Warnings From Scientists as Flying Insects Disappear
As new report shows flying insect population plunged by 76 percent, author predicts “our grandchildren will inherit a profoundly impoverished world.” A new study published Wednesday, revealing populations of flying … Continue reading
