Monday, September 18, 2017

The Bee Within



author's note:

"Buzz!  Buzz!"
     -- Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew


THE BEE WITHIN

Years ago
when I felt so dead
I sat myself down
and listened
down
deep within--

hoping to find
some sign of life...

I then discovered
what seemed to be
the steady hum of a bee--
the distant murmur rising.

I love mysteries
(even those within me)
and so
ever since that night
I've worked to attune myself
to the bee hum
and in that way
I've slowly learned to comprehend
a language still foreign.

A tedious task
yet an ideal way
to gift the mind and heart:

that bee is so wise--
consider this:

in my moments of doubt
the bee often tells me:
don't worry--
these motions are not for nothing
you're always making honey.


Listen intently
and you may hear
your own bee hum

not just inside yourself
but also hidden within
the buzz of your words:

while you and I distract ourselves
with lazy chitchat
our two bees communicate
at a frequency higher
than what the untrained ear
can usually detect.

Bees always speak honestly
so my bee might likely tell your bee
how I ran--how I leapt
in a vain attempt
to defy gravity

and your bee might tell mine
how a oak tree can spin
while sitting still.

Our bees reveal to the world
  our secret fears
  our secret shame
  our secret strength
  our secret grief...

but of course
my bee talks mostly to me
just as your bee talks mostly to you.

Unfortunately
I often miss the message of mine
as I rush and holler and curse--

most days
I rush and holler and curse
until I finally collapse--
feeling defeated--
downright dead...

but at such times
I may again be
open to my bee--
at such times
the bee may repeat
what I know but keep forgetting:

these motions are not for nothing
we're always making honey.



© 2017, Michael R. Patton
listening to silence: a poetry book

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home