To Beat the Bee

In the backwoods

behind the farm,

my uncle and I

went riding

in an old Willys Jeep.

He asked me

if I had ever seen

a beehive.

So he took me

to the place

where honey

was collected.

After showing me

the white condos

of honeycombs,

he demonstrated

with a slight grin

what not to do.

Before kicking one

of the boxes of bees,

he instructed me

to run to the Jeep.

I was already

in the passenger's seat

when a solitary bee

caught up with

my uncle's bottom

and gave him a kiss

as he was climbing

into the driver's seat.

He let out a scream

as he grabbed

for his behind!

As we left this place

in the dust,

we burst into laughter

as my uncle

nursed his wound.

"Never kick a box of bees!"

He warned.

I didn't think

it was a wise thing

to risk getting

some honey

from a bee box.

So I went to

a bee source.

In the yard

my mother had several

large red hibiscus bushes.

They were always loaded

with buds and blooms.

By separating

a ready to bloom

bud from its sepal,

you could taste

its sweet nectar

by sucking

on the base of the bud.

To prevent

the keeper

of the hibiscuses

from noticing

that any flowers

was missing,

I would only pluck

one or two at a time

to keep from

kicking up a fuss.

Looking back,

I should have

shown my uncle

on how

to beat the bee

rather than

trying to outrun it.

Even if discovered

He could have easily

outran the keeper

of the hibiscuses

and had his honey, too!