meditation on a bee sting
fuzzy bumble knot you did not
give fair warning
looping down all twee-ly
into a violent beeline to a hip
& zip over to a thigh–
the burn delayed a split-second
before I could flap my hat wildly
& miss cursing–
you bobbing bobbling to the roof
you diving driving at me again–
an angry stripey pompom
clinging to my watchband
slipping your stinger into my wrist
what did I do to deserve this indiscriminate stinging–
these jabs into my legs & wrist–
this holy trinity of needling throb & itch–
when I was only standing on my porch
is this payback for
the thwacks of a cheap badminton racket
twanging woodbees from a porch long-ago
or your venomous benediction:
forgo a watch &
forget steps & time–
revert to reflexive wildness–
swell & scratch & cuss
4 thoughts on "meditation on a bee sting"
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oh this is awesome. such a huge fan of the sounds you use here, how this poem buzzes in its own right. never been a fan of bees and gotta say this poem makes me wanna run away from them even more. anyways, love it, well done!
Great word choices. I love the knot/not at the beginning. “Forget steps and time’Revert to reflexive wildness–” This reaches beyond the confines of your bee sting, making the sting a metaphor for other things that sting us. Wonderful poem! Thank you!
Such a good rhythm to the poem. You’re right; they need to give us a warning! “venomous benediction” – priceless!
Love how you use sound and movement here “fuzzy bumble knot you did not” and “into a violent beeline to a hip/& zip over to a thigh–” and “your venomous benediction” is also a gem