The Word Cloud

From the East amber skies streak
Morning’s golden glory rising
becomes a giant yellow-white cheese melt sizzling
Burning down it’s fiery head

In the pond there’s a bubble, ripple, frog
Smiling its ‘I don’t give a damn look’
With sudden movement he’s up tall and stretched
and his froggy tongue darts out to catch insect

At waters edge hundreds of squirmy long tailed tadpoles
growing, wait to join the chorus
A dragonfly hovers a while before swooshing away
While waterboatman rows all way round pads of lily

The shining sun dances light and shadows
through the longer grasses and trees
Dazzling unexpectedly the one who awakens from sun-bathing
pepper red from too long, an agonising site and dangerously sore skin

Through the garden’s archway
a perfumed breeze fills the nostrils
transcends such simple heady delights
jasmine clematis and honeysuckle scented pleasantries

With silky gossamer velvet coated wings
the brightest yet most delicate of these things
Flutters prettyness as it flirticiously plays with companion
Carefully avoiding the intricate weave of woven spiders web

A hum and buzz from the flapping wings of wasps and bees
as they go about collecting their dusty pollen from each flower
A pretty red ladybird four black spots on wing
and a caterpillar crawling munching lettuce leaves for dinner

A rainbow of colourful beauty
garlands swags baskets and beds (le jardin en fleur)
Few daisies dandelions hold their own
until tomorrows mower sees them gone

Nature’s hands unveil baby birds
trialling first flight from nest
and babbling brook as it rushes chance carried stones
washed, tumbled, turned, have no rest

As spring is allegedly only round the corner, and I think it's always good for the soul to have something nice to look forward to, I'm posting this excerpt from Red Sky at Night in anticipation of the sunny days to come. And in honour of the bees that do so much to keep us all fed by pollinating the plants that we eat.

I tried to post this on the Red Sky thread in the forum, but the Cloud refused to play ball, so I've put it here instead. 

Bee lore

Bees are among the busiest creatures in our gardens and in the wild, and also some of the most important because they pollinate so many plants. In years gone by, many gardeners kept their own beehives, which provided a welcome supply of honey that could be used in many different ways. For instance, the honey was eaten and the wax coating on the combs was made into candles. In return, there was a strict etiquette in looking after bees and many people still practice it, with excellent results.
 

Informing the bees

Bees were once often referred to as ‘little servants of God’ or ‘small messengers of God’, names which meant they had to be accorded due respect. One of the most important tasks of any beekeeper was to keep his or her bees informed of the latest news, because they were part of the family and it was only polite to keep them up to date. If someone died, the bees had to be told, often by someone tapping gently on their hive with a front-door key and then explaining what had happened. If you failed to tell the bees about a death, the penalties could be severe. At the very least, the hive might swarm and vanish. Much worse, there might be another death in the family. In some parts of the country, the hive was draped in black crêpe to signify mourning.

But bees weren’t only told about the bad news. They were also informed when there was something to celebrate, such as a wedding or christening, and a small slice of the cake would be left outside their hive for them to feed on. Some people also tied a white ribbon to the hive. Once again, the consequences of failing to notify the bees were serious. The bees might fly away, or bad luck might befall the family. If the bees weren’t told about the birth of a child, there was a danger that the child might sicken or even die. The bees might follow suit, through grief at not being kept up to date with the family news.

Humming

The noise that the bees made was highly significant. Silence from the hive was a warning that the bees might soon swarm. On the other hand, if there was a contented buzzing, all was well. It was considered highly inadvisable to swear near the hive, in case you offended the bees and they abandoned the hive in disgust. If you had to move the hive, it was wise to avoid doing so on Good Friday, once again for fear of upsetting the bees.

Acquiring the bees

How did you acquire your hive in the first place? You had to do it tactfully, so as not to hurt the bees’ feelings. It wasn’t a good idea to buy the bees, but if you had no choice, it was advisable to hand over the money (usually a gold coin) discreetly, well away from the hive. Better still was to exchange the hive for something useful, such as some wheat. But not even the wisest precautions were any good if the bees weren’t told they were going to have a new master or mistress. Such a lack of consideration could result in the death of the bees. You might think this practice has long since died out, but in fact it’s still performed in some parts of the countryside. And according to the people who take care of their bees in this way, it works perfectly. 

I’m fairy nature,
Come to collect fall’s leaf wares
to help make a coat.

A coat of sunsets,
A last breath of summer’s glow
To wrap up autumn.

I disguise myself
Living amongst the woodlands,
squirrels, bugs, birds, bees.

Slowly with magic
I single handedly turn
The season’s over;
Sweeping winds and driving rains,
Giving nature rest till spring.

I nourish the land.
Autumn’s blanket becomes crisp,
Stark, white, purity,
I contrast, redecorate
New, sleek, sexy, wavy tones.

To aid learning.

For those wishing to know the form of this poem, the first three veres are written in Haiku 5-7-5 form and the latter two verses in Tanka 5-7-5-7-7 form.

Firefly fairy seldom seen till dusk falls,
Flits and darts amongst the trees giving her,
Own miniature light show as she goes.

Ladybug fairy in her tarty spotty little number,
Sometimes red/black or yellow/black,
Dances amongst the leaves or hides beneath coyly.

Dragonfly fairy is queen of the garden,
Beautiful blues and greens are her delight,
Hovering over the pond admiring the kingdom around her.

Fluttering fairy butterfly drifts flower to flower,
Proudly flirting her way around causing a stir,
Often coupling up with mischievous fairys as she goes.

As night time draws deeper and stars light the way,
When moon is high, playful little fairys can be seen
Chasing and merrily dancing or leap frogin’ toadstools!