Telling the Bees

from Out With Lanterns

My ancestors told their hives
about births, marriages, deaths,
whispered to the honeycombs
because apiaries were direct routes 
between here and the spirit world. 
Hive death might be from pesticides
or viruses, climate change or habitat loss, 
but it’s difficult not to wonder
if maybe they just miss us.

Maybe they don’t know that we too
suffer from colony collapse disorder,
passersby staring into glowing boxes,
scrolling home alone, thumb joint aching.
I’m beginning to wonder if maybe
the bees are just as lonely as we are,
if maybe we tell them what’s going on,
they’ll stop dying, if we start talking
to each other, we’ll live again too.

Photo by Shelby Cohron on Unsplash