The Bumbly-Bee

 

 

 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 suppose 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