Propopis For A Fractured World

AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION

In 2016 or so I became a beekeeper. I knew almost nothing about keeping bees, so I relied on the cumulative knowledge of my wife, who’d kept bees several decades ago, in her twenties. We bought a new type of hive, called a “Flow Hive®. It was a revolutionary design which vastly simplified the gathering of honey, reduced the amount of equipment needed, and made it possible to tend to many beekeeping tasks without ever disturbing the bees, without their noticing our presence.

Bees are complex creatures. Social creatures. Efficient creatures. They communicate in many ways, some of which we know, and many of which we do not understand. Most of all, I realized we are co-inhabitants of this physical space. We all do well if we take care of each other, bees and humans alike. I sometimes sit for an hour or more beside our hive, watching “the girls” come and go, industrious and dedicated. At these times, I begin to feel peace. I feel part of them and part of something larger than myself. These are times, unequivocally, of meditation.

This short collection is my tip of the hat to my bees, and all bees. A gesture of gratitude. And a plea for their help as we navigate a physically and spiritually collapsing planet. There is a lot to be learned from bees.

Review by Martin Willitts Jr.