Bees zig & zag through clover
collecting nectar for their queen.
A bear sits under a willow tree
on the river bank, watching.
She will track their flight
back to the hive and . . . honey!
for this bear craves sweetness
to go with her trout . . . Yummy!
 
Poor bear. She is watching the bees
but their sentry is watching her.
He does a little jig in the air to say:
Beware, my brothers! Watch out, my sisters!
A bear! A bear! A bear is there
under the willow at the river’s edge.
 
The bees follow the winding river to their
hive high in a white pine tree. The bear
follows the bees. The lone sentry
follows the bear who is following the bees
who are taking turns dropping off nectar.
Bear licks her lips. The sentry sees
his chance and does another dance:
Now! Now’s the time! Attack!
 
The bees obey. They swarm Bear & sting
her snout. They buzz in her ears & fly at her eyes.
Bear shakes her head, dashes for the river & dives in.
The sentry flies in dizzying circles. Oh happy day,
Bear is stuck in the muck.
The bees hurry back to their work.
 
A bullfrog in the reeds watches
with huge, unblinking eyes.
He flicks his tongue. Harrumph,
No honey here, Bear.
Harrumph . . .

 
From Words & Other Wild Things (Brick Street Poetry, 2016).
Used here with permission.