Maying

I was walking through the woods one afternoon in May
when the air was golden, the hills thick green, spotted in wildflowers
between the trees' cool shade
and ahead of me, the insects were awake.

I heard the buzzing
and curious, walked forward to see what they were
---and they were all around me, the air lively,
heavy with their drone.
Hard to focus. I found one. Honey bee.
They had no reason to sting, but still. I did the mental math
and backed out, heart racing, awake.

They were in swarm
a wild swarm
and they danced wildly above the fragrant fields
and spun swiftly down the hill
right now all the world and gone a moment later
like many wonders.

They left me unhurt.
Standing in joy with an empty rolling field
and the memory of that moment when I stood within them, surrounded
by the strength of their festival day, the founding of their hive.

Maying, photos

Today's was a great walk. Standing in the middle of swarming bees, even for a moment, was an amazing, emotionally complex experience, but it isn't exactly something I could get pictures of. This was a great day for wildlife sightings, though. The reptiles are coming out of dormancy, everything is in bloom, and it was glorious.




( photographs from today; wildflowers, wildlife, my pack. Snakes 'n spiders warning. )