Christmas Eve with the Bees 2015

Garrison Keillor’s daily Writer’s Almanac puts a poem in my in box every day.  This was perfect for the Solstice.

The Bee Carol
by Carol Ann Duffy

Listen Online

Silently on Christmas Eve,
the turn of midnight’s key;
all the garden locked in ice —
a silver frieze —
except the winter cluster of the bees.

Flightless now and shivering,
around their Queen they cling;
every bee a gift of heat;
she will not freeze
within the winter cluster of the bees.

Bring me for my Christmas gift
a single golden jar;
let me taste the sweetness there,
but honey leave
to feed the winter cluster of the bees.

Come with me on Christmas Eve
to see the silent hive —
trembling stars cloistered above —
and then believe,
bless the winter cluster of the bees.
“The Bee Carol” by Carol Ann Duffy from The Bees. © Faber & Faber, Inc., 2011. Reprinted with permission.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 21st, 2015 at 9:45 pm and is filed under Judy's Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.