Pause for poetry:
Michael Hawkes /8

Insect“O”cide

A poem by Michael Hawkes

We love to love the worker bee,
Labouring conscientiously
To serve the queen, the hive and colony.
On relating to its purpose
We feel it wouldst behoove us
Thus to serve our own society.

With a backhand flip we swat a fly,
Stunned, belly up, we’ll watch it die
Or smear it with another swipe
And never pause to question why
This casual murder is alright.

When not busy at the hive
The bee’s investigating scented flowers…
Whereas the fly, ugh! Those bulging eyes!
Prefers the foulest excrement
In which to while away the hours,
Defecating, fornicating, replicating – laying eggs,
In the offal it devours!!!

Lawd! Bless the humble bumble bee, in its bumbling lonesome majesty.
Welcome to my garden, come pollinate my home,
Come lecture to my children with your pacifying drone,
Poke your nose in all our flowers, treat them as your own
Then sticky up your whiskers on this piece of honeycomb.

03/07/20 Hawkes

Feature image: Colin Durfee via StockPholio.net

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Michael Hawkes - WestmountMag.ca

Michael Hawkes was a cherished poet and contributor whose work enriched the pages of WestmountMag.ca with its sensitivity and depth. Over the years, he entrusted us with a rich body of poems, of which only a portion has yet been published. His passing leaves a profound void, but the poems still to come will continue inspire all who were moved by his voice.