HIVE ALIVE

​​I hear the wind among the trees
Playing celestial symphonies;
I see the branches downward bent
Like keys of some great instrument.

And over me unrolls on high
The splendid scenery of the sky
Where through a sapphire sea the sun
Sails like a golden galleon.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, from "A Day of Sunshine"


I hear the buzz among the bees,
Relaying floral mysteries.
They tell of colored petals meant
As guides to nectars succulent.

And just beyond the nearby fence,
The valued insects wheel and dance,
Where neath the guarded nook a hive
Sits like a chest of gold alive.
—Shortfellow (aka Lord Zakwoof of Glenwoof)