The Bees and the Bushes

Posted on 2022-04-22 by Bartholomew Barker

For today’s prompt, write an organism poem.

The Bees and the Bushes

This bumble bee couldn’t care less
as I watch him work the blossoms.
I stretch my aging back and notice
there are dozens of bees bumbling.

Over the distant fields I see a flock
of starlings flying like an amoeba
reminding me of the school of fish
I swam near on a tropical snorkel.

We’ve got this all wrong— Individuality.
We’re more like cells in a culture
than islands in an archipelago.
I don’t care about your political beliefs,

your behavior affects the rest of us.
Even poets needs a workshop to thrive.

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About Bartholomew Barker

Bartholomew Barker is an organizer of Living Poetry, a collection of poets in the Triangle region of North Carolina where he has hosted a monthly feedback workshop for more than decade. His first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular, written in and about strip clubs, was published in 2013. His second, Milkshakes and Chilidogs, a chapbook of food inspired poetry was served in 2017. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2021. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he lives and writes poetry.
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11 Responses to The Bees and the Bushes

  1. pensivepoetblog's avatar pensivepoetblog says:
    2022-04-22 at 21:05

    Love “work the blossoms” “dozens of bees bumbling” “flock of starlings flying like an amoeba”

    I like the echo of the Simon and Garfunkel song that second and third stanza brings to me. I Am a Rock – I like the refutation of it. That we need each other. We’re part of a thing, an organism. Even surly poets. Is the use of ‘an’ rather than ‘a’ in front of culture intentional? That was my only nit.

    Nice.

    Like

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  2. JeanMarie's avatar JeanMarie says:
    2022-04-22 at 23:35

    Yes! John Donne. When I saw Brewer’s prompt that famous line “no man is an island” came to mind and I looked it up. So I was today year’s old when I read about, and read the piece, Meditation 17 and discovered the famous line about bells tolling came from this as well. (Pats self on back.) If I wasn’t a poet I’d be a lot dumber than I am. ha ha

    Nice work. In a few hundred years perhaps poets will be quoting “bees bumbling.”

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  4. berniebell1955's avatar berniebell1955 says:
    2022-04-27 at 06:29

    I’m going to witter a bit …..it’s something I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about….to quote Robert Plant – ‘All are one and one is all’.

    To quote me…. https://theorkneynews.scot/2017/11/13/how-i-see-the-whole-life-lovelightgodreiki-etc-etc-thing/

    And…..to my way of seeing/thinking – there’s no such thing as an island……

    Islands

    Welcome to The Orkney News – I very much hope that you send more contributions.

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  5. Susi Bocks's avatar Susi Bocks says:
    2022-05-07 at 20:26

    Loved that second stanza, great descriptions, Bart.

    Liked by 1 person

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