The Bumbly-Bee
My life has been long, I’m an old man, you see
I’d set up a ladder to trim an old tree,
‘Twas late in the spring, and the tree was in blossom
As happens when this guy behaves like a possum,
Yes I’d put it off, and now wanted it done.
Put on a broad hat to protect me from sun,
My body ached, as slowly I climbed
To finish the job at least, one more time.
I began snipping, in warm breeze and sun
Soon losing myself in this task I’d begun.
I’d hardly noticed, that tree was a-buzz
With bees of all kinds, just doing their stuffs,
Collecting the nectar, but I didn’t care
Till a bumblebee hovered before me, and stared.
Now quickly I realized that I’d snipped the branch
That bee had been on, by complete happenstance.
Perhaps I’d offended, removing her flower
Of course I was bigger, but she had the power,
She circled and landed, my neck she then stung,
I lurched and I swiped and my clippers I flung
Sensation of falling, crushing thud to the ground
Then darkness; then rising, then sunlight, and sound;
A buzzing, ‘twas me, as I hovered on high
I was free, ‘twas me, now a bee in the sky!
I considered, that fall, man, that was some pain,
But looking back now, I’d do it again,
To know once more the sensation of “free,”
Of dipping and diving as a real bumblebee!
For a moment, I was flustered. How on earth could this bee?
A man lay there, beneath that tree
The ladder askance where I once had ascended
Before I’d been stung, and my body’d ass-ended
So that’s how it goes, I thought, that’s how I die;
But I felt no remorse, for now, I could fly,
Euphoric and free, ‘twas just as it was
My wings beat softly, created the buzz,
I’d never thought much of reincarnations
Nor what it must feel like, this creature’s sensations,
Much less the condition, a world once extraneous
Nor that one’s rebirth could be instantaneous!
But I didn’t mind at all, no no!
All that mattered was “Go! Go! Go!”
I could fly! I could fly! I shot straight up then
And all I wanted was to do it again.
I can say this now, I recall that feeling
That even a bee has a very real ceiling,
But I know I was there, saw a hawk passing by,
Assessed where I was, ‘cuz it gave me the eye,
So earthward I dove, in a widening spiral
If this were a vid, thought I, this would go viral...
But soon, I suppose, inevitably
I settled down to becoming a bee.
All I can tell is what I recollect
There was one job to do, which was to connect
With nectar in flower, a task to do,
For little else mattered, no, I simply knew,
This life spanned one season, a duty was mine
Serve queen, serve colony, work all the time,
But work it was not, not a care in my life,
No money, no status, no crazy ex-wife,
True meaning, direction, and ultimate peace
Bright sun, soft breeze, white clouds of fleece…
But there must be an end to this picture I paint.
For I know, only God could make me what I ain’t.
And He did that for me. I know just why,
For my eyes have been opened; the Earth and the sky
These didn’t just happen, they’re here for a reason.
The day, the night, the planets, the seasons,
Life as it is, both good and bad
I’ve surely seen both. What a life I’ve had!
I considered, then, in pain on the ground,
Forever I’ll miss that freedom, that sound,
One summer I lived the life of that bee.
Ever working, then fading, less agility,
Then quietly passing, feeling I was still free
Knowing I would be back, hoping yet as a bee.
But when I awakened, the sun was still high,
I rolled myself over and stared at the sky,
What had happened, I wondered,
Then put it together;
I laid there in silence, and thought, could it be
I really had lived as a bumbly-bee?
Well yes, yes I did. But now I’m back here;
As a bee, for sure, there’s no pizza, no beer,
No tobacco nor nookie nor other things human,
Just great strength, and peace, and the blooms as they’re bloomin’-
So now I must say, and it comes from my soul,
Humanity’s dug itself one great big hole.
We may live on as a fish or a bear,
Or a deer or a whale, I really don’t care.
And if we awaken as some other being
What do you think we will find?
We’re here, you see, as stewards behooved,
And if we can’t play, then we’ll be removed.
So silly we are! Imagine the way
We carry this selfishness through each day
Seldom seeing this world that sustains.
It’s home to far more. I’ll say it again;
The night is as day with stars a’ glistening,
But you, my dears, shall not be listening.
So record I, from this hospital bed
Knowing someday, I will be dead
And so shall you; and you, and you.
Let’s get it right.
It’s what to do.
*****
2018
Benjamin Trayne