This poem was inspired by a prompt from
red_trillium. It is presented as today's second freebie poem, courtesy of new prompter
bodlon and new donor Christian Young.
Now, the bumblebee in this poem is a New Yorker, with a vocabulary and attitude to match, so I'm putting this below a cut. People unfond of coarse language may prefer to read something else. I sympathize with the poor bee's predicament -- but I consider the poetry student the winner of this altercation. Also,
the quoted lines are by Emily Dickenson.
The Prairie in Central Park
A student sat on the grass,
reading poetry in Central Park.
"To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,"
she intoned solemnly,
looking around for the ingredients.
A bumblebee blundered from one white flower to the next,
its tiny wings propelling it into impossible flight.
"One clover, and a bee,
And revery."
The student gazed at the bee.
"Hey, you -- we're making a prairie!"
The bumblebee turned to her and said,
"Lady, we're in New York fucking City!
Do you see any prairie around here? No! This is a LAWN.
All I have to eat is clover and frankly it tastes like exhaust fumes.
So get the fuck off my dinner table,
before I shove that book up your ass!"
The student took her book and moved
to a section of lawn devoid of angry bumblebees.
Then she finished softly,
"The revery alone will do,
If bees are few."