Bee Poem by Patrice Vecchione

August 10, 2021

Bee Poem by Patrice Vecchione

Patrice Vecchione has written a lovely poem about spring, bee pollinating, and beekeeping. The poem was inspired by interactions with Lynne and the bees of Amen Bee. 

Near Spring

Late at night in a rain-soaked orchard
of sweet almond, in the central valley town
of the baths, you unload the white boxes of bees
from the wide back of your flatbed truck,
set them down in rows beside the twisting trees,
so in the morning the bees will begin turning
the white and pink blossoms into fruit.
Handing me the smoker, you show me how
to heat the bees into making honey in their hives.
Momentarily unafraid, I lean up to the boxes
where nectar rises, floats into the misty air.

Tell me, is this a heat to run from, or do I turn
toward the honeying, the sudden beating
of wings, the hum and buzz of the inner hive?

– Patrice Vecchione

Patrice is a poet, nonfiction writer, and teacher. Patrice Vecchione’s new book is My Shouting, Shattered, Whispering Voice: A Guide to Writing Poetry & Speaking Your TruthYou can find out more about Patrice on her website





Also in Bee Journal

My Visit to Vicenza Italy
My Visit to Vicenza Italy

May 23, 2023

Do you know the famous Italian Phrase “Dolce Fa Niente”?  It means — sitting in the piazza with friends enjoying the site and sounds and a Spritz or Hanging upside down in the garden. My friends and I all gathered for a wonderful lunch in a very old resturant called the Ristorante Antico Guelfo in Vicenza eating wonderful food prepared offered by the resturants: pastas, risottos, creamy soups, and finishing touch, a glass of Tiramisu.

Continue Reading

What Is It Like to Be a Bee?
What Is It Like to Be a Bee?

April 04, 2023

Bees are social insects that live in colonies. Their biology and instincts largely determine the behavior of bees. Their specialized body parts allow them to perform specific tasks within the hive. On Atlas Obscura, Natasha Frost has taken a deep dive into bee consciousness and the sophisticated senses they possess.

Continue Reading

Ancient Bee Elixirs
Ancient Bee Elixirs

February 20, 2023

Honey has always been a sweet treat, but it has also long served as a preservative, medicine and salve. The U.S. Department of Agriculture made medical history last month when it approved the first vaccine for honey bees. Hives will be inoculated against American Foulbrood, a highly contagious bacterial disease that kills bee larvae. Our buzzy friends need all the help they can get. In 2021, a national survey of U.S. beekeepers reported that 45.5% of managed colonies died during the preceding year. Since more than one-third of the foods we eat depend on insect pollinators, a bee-less world would drastically alter everyday life...

Continue Reading