Here’s a poem I wrote today… (I don’t remember the last time I wrote a poem).
Bee Hospice
Oh look, he says
I stop and turn around
He sets the grocery bags down
Is it dead? I ask, squatting
I poke it gently, with my thumbnail
It is not brittle
Maybe it is still alive
Not even an antenna moves
I pick a soft blackberry leaf off a vine in the pavement
I think a moment, and pick another one
I study the bee, determining a good angle of approach
I carefully reposition myself
(My underwear might be showing under my skirt)
Using the small leaf, I scoop the bee onto the big leaf
She is sandwiched now, on her back
I step over to the grass
I invert the bee sandwich
I leave her hidden, on tired feet, in this tiny shelter
I stand up, he grabs our grocery bags
I am glad for my sunglasses
I begin to cry
My face crumples as we walk
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