COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER

Bees are dying mysteriously. A bee hive is one of the most sterlie places on earth and a sick bee will not contaminate the hive, taking itself off to die elsewhere. Audio version: http://snd.sc/HFpzOX

 

(Deep in hive where bee poet is addressing his sad Queen)

 

           Can but try

Do no good

          Can but try

They will not listen

          Can but try

They can not listen

          For the hive

My hive is dying

          For other hives

Will be no other hives

          Don't cry royal Queen

Who are you?

           But a bee

A dying bee

          Your loyal bee

My poet bee

          Say the word my Queen

I need you here

          What can I do?

Comfort me

           I will come back

No, you know you won't

          Perhaps not

We're dying, poet, all dying

          Don't cry Queen!

What else is there?

          Try to make them listen

They have no ears, poet

          I must try Queen

Then go poet, if go you must, fly to them!

          With your blessing?

With my blessing poet

          Gracious Queen!

I will miss you poet

          I will be back Queen

 No, poet, no

          But I must...go

I know, I know

          I will find one who will listen

I hope you do poet, hope you do

          Farewell Queen, may Summer's kiss...

Farewell sir poet, go. Go!

(exit)

 

(Deep in man's mind staring at face in mirror while shaving)

 

Right ear lobe to chin

Draw razor across face

To chin: three strokes...one, two...three

Rinse razor

Five or six lesser strokes beneath lower lip

Buzzing?

Left ear lobe to chin

One smooth stroke of blade

What IS that buzzing?

Pay attention

No nicks, not today of all days

Focus man

That EFFING buzzing!

February, frosty?

Central heating woken a sleeper

Rinse razor

Five strokes beneath nose

 

(Man flinches on glimpsing flight of insect in corner of eye, but being late, persists with shave until... Bee lands on head of electronic toothbrush standing on glass shelf beneath mirror. Man studies bee in amazement.)

 

How baroque!

And how you dance, sir bee, as bees are want.

Is that not so?

The dance of a bee?

Is this what I see?

The dance of a bee?

And how your antenna do twitch!

As if...

As if what?

Come on bee!

As if what?

 

(Bee falls from the toothbrush onto sink beside brushed steel tap, lands on back, struggles, lays still, struggles anew, turns a circle on his back, dies.)

 

Unbelievable!

What was that about bee?

 

(Man, now late, gingerly picks bee up by wingtip, holds up to examine closely.)

 

Amazing.

The death ... of a bee.

 

(Man drops bee into toilet, flushes toilet, looks round for towel, dries face.)

 

Audio version on soundcloud: http://snd.sc/HFpzOX

 

Author's Note

Audio verssio: http://snd.sc/HFpzOX

Reviews

[Bubo]

Orlando
awesome brain you have..........this is brilliant.............I felt sorry for the bee's in the first part, such sorrow........

Comfort me

I will come back

No, you know you won't

Perhaps not

We're dying poet, all dying

Don't cry Queen!

And I am not a fan of bee's, I had no idea hives were in trouble!
Then the twist of the distracted shaving man, who ponders, reflects no more as the bee is flushed away............I had no idea bee's won;t return to the hive if sick. So he came to die.
Such a sad piece, and thats amazing you made me think, and feel for a bee, feel sad!!
I will no doubt see bee's differently now.........
wonderful work.......loved the way you set this out, like a story, a play..........short life of a bee.

[Robert Luna]

What a creative write this was. You have such a wonderful imagination and I truly loved the way this was written and the way it seemed to flow in my head like the a musical piece of writing. I think you did a beautiful job here


Great JOb!!!!!

[Genie]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for writing this! The bees need a voice as surely as the trees do, and this is eloquent in its unspoken plea for awareness. Bees are among the most intelligent creatures on earth and our food chain relies heavily on them -- not to mention our aesthetic senses of beauty and pleasure. As with the trees, if we lose the bees, what will be left?

Thank you, Sir Champion!

[Marie]

That was VERY creative. I loved it. Thank you for sharing.

[Blade & Blood (The ..]

That was really creative. ^^ Although I'm not a big fan of bees, I have to say that I really did enjoy that poem! Thanks for sharing! :)

Ironically Yours. Blade and Blood

[Nick Erickson]

For a story about a bee, this was a gripping tale.
I loved the interaction between Queen bee and the bee poet. He knew he was dying, she knew he had to go... if only a few moments sooner for the human would have surely understood.
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Come bee!
As if what?

(But the bee falls from the toothbrush onto the sink between the proud taps where he lands on his back, struggles as if to right himself, lays still, struggles anew, turning a circle on his back, dies.)

Extraordinary!
What was all that about bee?

(The man, now late, gingerly picks the bee up by a wingtip, holds him up to examine more closely.)

Amazing.
The death ... of a bee.
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Surely we need to listen more closely to what we are being told.
Well done!!!

[Captain Blackheart (The..]

Oh....the bee...poor bee......An intresting piece, I really liked the begining about the bee poet going forth with a message to find someone to listen. I associated the hive to be earth and the poet trying to send a message out to someone -anyonne who would listen to help save the hive/earth. An very intresting piece!

[Emily B]

I'm stunned. I sit here trying to wrap my mind around the correlation of man and bee. I haven't as yet formed a proper response to it. The story is absolutely gripping. I think this may be my new favorite of your work.