Bee Journal

Sean Borodale

A year of in the life of a bee keeper and his bees told in verse as a daily diary written at the hive. The account is very detailed and generally quite scientific, which contrasts beautifully with the lyrical and spiritual language. You will learn much about bee keeping whilst also enjoying the exquisite poetry. A masterly debut collection and a poet to watch.

Extract

27TH MAY: GEOGRAPHY

Bees in the roof, bees on the walls
stitching the house in a net of flightways,
just like surveillance, just like snoopers
in the open air
And they rig crack, lump, recess, ridge to the commune of a memory;
and they rig it to the thin low wide little door of the North in the hive over there;
and they rig it to our conversation and commentary, and the brittle sweat's armada of frightened water on our brows; and they rig it, finally, to the minutes of the sun's last floodlit bit of daylight.

Parallels