A swarm of bees funnel over the land. No one knocked their nest about or stole their honey. Summer snuck into the hive last night while the queen was asleep and grabbed hold of everyone’s stingers.
And now tempers are heating up. The bees are drunk off a one-night stand.
The bees flex and growl so that all who live on the land notice they are buzzing for a fight, willing to take on anyone making a claim on Summer. At the apex of this taunting, the Wind or Rain or Fire will swat the bees out of their sexual stupor.
Of course, Summer will be criticized by the crows in the trees and men without the courage to approach her. Summer finds a certain humor in man’s fear of the unknown. When God changed Summer into the season she had to give up being a human, and most of being human, as Summer learned quickly, was the weight of worry.
Summer does not worry anymore. She is the greatest fertility goddess in the world. Summer provides something worth experiencing to any who let go of power when they grab hold of her waist, to any who do not care what the crows say for undressing with her in the tall grass.
74 comments:
ha - i see what you meant...a mouth full of sweet stuff indeed...love the honey taste in her mouth...and i wouldn't mind undressing with her in the tall grass either...smiles
One of the best summer poems EVER.
Ahhh, you give poetry a good name, Ed.
Are you a bee researcher? :)
Agreed about the crows, they just have to stick their noses in and judge EVerything.
claudia, smokin' hot:) (to use one of my favorite 80s expressions, or was it 90s?)
jannie, thanks:) i am no apiarist, however. all i have is my little boy imagination.
provides something to experience in the tall grass eh? smiles...grabbing stingers eh? lol...honey lipped for sure...
ed,
I desire to sleep with summer...tasting the honey upon my lips :)
i don't need a content warning yet, do i?
:)
i'm having fun with this series for sure, brian.
thanks, kim:)
i myself am a honey fiend. if i start tasting honey from the jar, i will soon be drinking it straight from the jar, and sick for hours afterward. yeah.
Shit. I've changed my mind. I want to be summer. Oh yeah...do I ever.
annie, i'm feeling better and better about this post:)
kim, you and me both:)
I love these posts - mostly because I feel like everytime I read one I'm making friends with another season or color and soon the entire world will be my friend.
You're right in that most of being human is the weight of worry, but I still wish I was Autumn, just because I think when Autumn became human, she gave up the weight of being scared of change. And I think I need that more right now :)
tracy, i'm going to try and work with that idea for autumn. thanks so much:)
and your new website looks beautiful.
I love it! great poem!
thanks, ayala.
I just love this series. I will go back and read the whole series when I get a chance.
Summer really does know how to live, doesn't she?
thanks, victoria.
deb, she is a wild one:) there's really nothing i can do to up her appetite from here, huh?:)
damn summer really is steaming it up, living on the edge and denying autumn any fun..haha
Oh so true...you can't rush autumn! There's usually a tease of Indian Summer, but summer has a ways to go yet! Lovely writing!
Yummy, the taste of honey. Your words, so sensual. Very lovely read.
Ah, I wish I had your gift, weaving words into art. I could stay here all day and think in a whole new realm of words!
I love that line "summer has another month to live before sleeping in autumn's arms". Very well put. Mickie :)
Lovely writing! You've captured the sweetness of summer.
thanks so much for the love:)
O love that last stanza, Ed! Sensual without saying so directly.
Thanks for the hug :).
This is beautiful, Ed.
amy, thanks so much:) i would be blogging for two people if it wasn't for you.
talli, thanks for the sugar.
This is beyond gorgeous!
aww, thanks, mama z. there was a local story here about a 95 year old man stung hundreds of times by killer african bees, but the guy survived. it got me thinking of a swarm of bees i saw last year in the middle of a busy street. cars whizzed through the massive swarm and it sounded like they were driving through a hail storm. but the sight of a swarm of bees is awfully intimidating.
I read this post as a prose poem, and there is much good to be said about it. Your personification of bees is so imaginative. "The bees are drunk off a one-night stand," is a great line, and I am enchanted by their ability to growl and flex.
And, wow! The personification of summer is, well, simply ingenious. The target of criticism by crow and man alike, she stands firm in her strength. " Summer finds a certain humor in man’s fear of the unknown." "………….she had to give up being a human, and most of being human, as Summer learned quickly, was the weight of worry."
Good words, strung together beautifully.
Namaste……….cj
PS - Thanks for visiting "My Poems" and for your thoughtful comments. After reading this, I am honored to have them.
Oh, and what is the name of the Grateful Dead song? I want to search my music library for it!
cj, thanks for such a detailed read. i'm very honored by your words.
a 15-foot high swarm of bees is an awesome thing of power. i've never seen a bear in the wild but i've heard bears are crap-in-your-pants intimidating.
the song is called black peter. it's on the workingman's dead album. you may not get out of it what i do:)
Well now...Summer is something else!
haha:) thanks, deidra. hope your summer is going great!
summer wouldn't miss a burning man festival.
I really like the personification of Summer and the metaphor with the bees.
I usually love summer but it's been so hot here in Texas that I'm actually looking forward to cooler weather.
thanks for reading, laurie. i'm in a near perfect summer place in southern california, in what's called the south bay, where summer lately is just barely warm enough to go the pool or beach.
i'm blessed in that way, though i often forget.
you grab us from "a swarm of bees.." and keep us with you till the very last "sleeping in Autumn's arms." We taste both the stinger and honey in your every word. This bittersweet experience makes us want more, if more you can give.
thank you, lisa. i'll give you everything i have.
:)
An interesting fertility goddess she is...
I am enjoying the series.. Keep your summer muse happy with a taste of honey ~
Thank you Ed for visiting and commenting on my blog. I enjoyed that sneaky Summer! And by the way I think we are about to get a taste of summer now--but we do have it about perfect here in SoCal.
heaven, okay, i'll allow myself a teaspoon of honey after i finish the twinkies. seriously:)
peggy, thanks for reading.
Oh, Ed, this is a beautiful depiction of Summer. Your words make me FEEL the summer that I love. May the last month of summer bring out her best!
A tasty, awesome snapshot of summer. I have a bee on my blog post today, too. :-)
My daughter gave me this honey for a birthday gift and it tastes like golden candy: Heavenly Honey
I like this a lot...it's fun...and sexy.
this is awe-inspiring. come by dverse today and link this one up if you wish. I think it would be a good fit for Brian's poetic prompt. I wish I was summer for I could do without worrying and to sleep in autumn's arms sounds wonderful!
mary, i felt summer when i wrote this. the morning was heating up. there were all sorts of heat warnings shooting around. i read the story of the man who was stung so many times. i got lightening in a bottle with this piece. wish it happened all the time:)
marion, orange blossom honey sounds and looks sooo good. i'm worried about ordering a bottle, since a binger i can be. i'm resisting so much as tasting the jarred honey in the cabinet:)
michelle, thanks so much! i did have fun writing it, and when i do that fun energy comes through. i love it.
sheila, looking forward to reading your chapbook. soon. i aspire not to worry too. i love summer for her attitude. somehow i think if we truly embody an i-don't-care-what-the-crows-say, then in some small and profound way we become a god by virtue of the self love that provides and everyday power against fear we radiate. i'm going to dverse now...
that second-to-last sentence didn't make any sense, sheila. 'and' should be 'an' and 'we radiate' should be eliminated. sheesh.
ha - nice that you linked up with this...you're having this third eye all the time...it must be covered by some good make up on your profile pic...smiles
a most amazing write :)
A most delightful romp with bees, crows and that wanton Summer who loves not wisely but too well. Enjoyed it HUGELY.
Ah, a few good unseen things of summer.
Pure poetry! Reminds me of a book I'm reading called locusts and wild honey. Beautiful, rich and flawless!
Summer missed the UK so thanks for the taste - i think i remember it.
Bring on the fall - layers of summer texture captured
This was a really fun read for me. I read it before trying the prompt myself... and I 'm glad I did because it opened my thoughts to other ideas... I don't usually do that as I'm always afraid I will borrow too much of other people's stuff.... I like your blog!
A very delightfull poem. As I sit here on the California Coast socked in with fog, it was a welcomed experience to read this. thank you
The essence of summer, I love it, lierally, :), luv it. Enjoyed this very much; I meant your write.
Thank you! I thought this fantastic! Love Summer in August...and watching her run from Autumn as night comes quicker. A most pleasing surprise for me indeed :)
Good grief! There is nothing that I can add to all the other comments, except that I am grateful you are blogging and sharing the treasures of your mind with others.
Beautiful, Ed. I think you captured exactly the essence of the waning days of summer, who wasn't always a season. Well done.
claudia, i'm just attempting to keep up with you.
david, thank you for visiting.
hedgewitch, thanks so much.
wolfsrosebud, maybe she's got some tricks left.
magicinthebackyard, i'll check out the book. thanks.
arron, fall can never arrive soon enough it seems.
margaret, looking forward to seeing what you come up with. thanks for visiting. i have that problem, too. i don't like reading great writers while i am writing becuz who needs to see what it's supposed to look like at that point?
california ink in motion, thanks very much. barely warm enough for the beach weather here in the south bay.
henry clemons, haha:) thanks.
natasha, thanks so much.
space lady, sweet:)
glynn, thanks for reading.
summer's hot here, so I would have to suffice with autumn as my beloved, although would not wanna miss the taste of honey that the bees so graciously endorse, like em!
alivealwayz, thanks for the read.
So well written...enjoyed your post. Thanks so much for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. I'll be back to check out more of your work.
Ed, I live in Florida in a house with no air conditioning. One of my jobs involves working outdoors. What you've described with the bees also describes my skin on some August nights.
This whole series is incredibly fine writing sir.
thanks, janice, as i will be of yours:)
mark, sorry to hear that. i was stung by more than 30 bees when was a youngster. i still went to a native american pow-wow that evening. one of the very few tough things i've ever done in me life:)
A playful and rather liberating way of viewing the season. I love the line of the bees drunk off a one-night stand, haha. I enjoyed this quite a bit.
anglachel27, simply writing about the seasons and god is in fact very liberating:)
thanks for the read.
"Summer provides something worth experiencing to any who let go of power when they grab hold of her waist,"
Ah,the silly mortals who can't think outside the box. They don't realize how many times more power there is when grabbing onto her waist. Makes me wonder if those who must have "power" are just scared of delight...ah, the light. :-)
susan, i love it. forgetting just about everything while grabbing hold of a waist ain't a bad way to go either:)
OK, my 4th one, now I KNOW they are based on someone in your memory.
hahahah:) nothing too obvious, of course:)
whew! i practically need a cold shower now... :)
wanted to say thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. i really appreciate it!
and thanks for the summer heat rush!
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