They dance
from sun to earth
and back to sun again
a choreography of flower
cycle
and of
courtship soil
and
sun.
lifts
to meet sky,
sap
mounts
to bud and blossom
earth sex-energy rises
where nectar
meets
bee.
The splendid honeybees.
Bees are the legs of plants, Michael Pollan tells us
they
themselves
are the very
steps
of this
courtship dance
in this g
l
i
s
s
a
d
e
of flower
and flower
soil and sun
and seed.
Feeding on photosynthesis
nectar-of-light distilled into life
they themselves are the essential partnership…
they themselves are the bridge…
they themselves are the link…
of plant and animal
of soil and sky.
They transform
sunlight
into sun’s light,
for sweetness’s sake.
For the sake of the sweetness
and the sake of the sting,
For the sake of the form
and the sake of the transform,
For the sake of the hive
and the sake of the womb.
For the sake of the soil
and the sake of the sky.
For the sake of the
all-hovering
all-birthing
all-quivering
dance.
For the sake of the life and the sake of the light
their dance of the nectar
is transformed
into the nectar of their dance
— this dance of life’s partnering, this courtship dance of life —
( this dance
the gift
of such sweetness…. )
without the honeybee there could not honey-be
any such sweetness
nor any such dance.
4 out of every 10 bites that humans eat
(let alone what the rest of the planet eats)
is pollinated by the honeybees.
They dance the whole living world together.
plants
to insects
to birds
to mammals
in network
in dance
in life.
I had been waiting
eagerly
to see this
profoundly
beautiful
film:
Queen of the Sun:
What are the Bees Telling Us?
I wept for most of the film
honey-melted by love
for these strange and intimate beings.
Weeping not in grief or fear for the threats to them
but in awe for their great gift
and gratitude for their sweet life
and moved deeply by the beloved bond of
beekeeper
and bee.
With deep gratitude to the following Flickr photographers for their gorgeous photos:
When I was living in Washington, DC, there was a Haagen Dazs shop that was trying to raise awareness on issues related to the plight of bees in America. I always supported them, but I only just realized that they need to hire you to tell the story in such a personal, moving way. Your poetry and photos speak volumes, as always.
I think the whole world is reaching out to us, yearning to be heard and met in companionship and partnership, however personally and movingly we — any of us — can step forward to meet them. Bees are only a part of it. Thank you Roxanne for your support of the bees, thank you to Haagen Dazs, thank you to the whole buzzing flying humming living world around us.
I love honey and I love bees dear Karen. In fact, I used to imagine myself a bee, following my bliss from flower to flower. One of my totems! Bee medicine is powerful, ancient, flowing from heart to heart. Bees are communal beings, architects of nature. Love the hexagon shape of the honeycombs! ;)
Thank you for raising awareness in such a poetic way.
Yes, bee medicine is very powerful. There is actually an ancient European tradition of bee shamanism, with the bee-sting venom used as a psychoactive medium of connection with the sacred.
In fact, this film tells us that bee venom is actually the same kind of venom as rattlesnake venom, it’s just that we get a lot less of it in a bee sting.
Very powerful totem, very powerful guide. Bee is one of my own guides as well.
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Your Beauty and your Bliss, Teresa, are a blessing to me, and a blessing to the bees. We are both honored by your using this post in your own.
Thank you.
Though I admit to involuntary shudders at the sight of the bee sitting on that finger without a glove anywhere in sight, I am intrigued with bees and how different I feel when I go more than 2 days without taking my honey. Beautiful post – to look at and read.
Thank you. :) The bees are a large part of the beauty and sweetness we find in the world. It would all be very different without their honey.