Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Bears, Bees and honey

ABC Wednesday
July 19th, 2017
The Letter is B for Bears, Bees and honey


When considering the subject of

Bears, Bees and honey

do we ever think of the morals involved?

Well, probably not,

but Aesop did

at least he considered the consequences of the whole affair



When the Bear came across the log filled with honey
and snooped around, thinking to fill his tummy
a single bee came out to protect the swarm, 
and stung the bear.

In a great rage the bear swapped the log with his huge claws
determined to destroy the nest of bees...
but a swarm of bees flew out and stung the bear
from head to heels
and the bear saved himself by diving into the nearest pond.

The moral of Aesops story?

"Better to bear a single injury in silence than
to bring about a thousand by
reacting in anger".

Probably Winnie the Pooh

ate his stolen honey with delight and serenity

but Mary Oliver tells a story in her poem
Black Bear in the Orchard



that delves a little further 

into the consequences and the morality

of the whole thing

Black Bear in the Orchard

It was a long winter.
But the bees were mostly awake
in their perfect house,
the workers whirling their wings
to make heat.
Then the bear woke,

too hungry not to remember
where the orchard was,
and the hives.
He was not a picklock,
He was a sledge that leaned
into their front wall and came out

the other side.
What could the bees do?
Their stings were as nothing.
They had planned everything sufficiently
except for this: catastrophe

They slumped under the bear's breath,
They vanished into the curl of his tongue.
Some had just enough time
to think of how it might have been -
the cold easing,
the smell of leaves and flowers
floating in,
then the scouts going out,
then their coming back, and their dancing -
nothing different
but what happens in our own village.
What pity for the tiny souls

who are so hopeful, and work so diligently
until time brings, as it does, the slap and the claw.
Someday of course, the bear himself
will become a bee, a honey bee, in the general mixing.
Nature, under her long green hair,
has such unbendable rules,

and a bee is not a powerful thing, even
when there are many,
as people, in a town or a village,
And what, moreover, is catastrophe?\
Is it the sharp sword of God,
or just some other wild body, loving its life?

Not caring a whit, black bear
blinks his horrible, beautiful eyes,
slicks his teeth with his fat and happy tongue,
and saunters on.
Mary Oliver

Pause for thought......

More Bs here at ABC Wednesday
with thanks to Melody and all those,
busy as bees, who assist her.






13 comments:

Leslie: said...

Love the morals here! And the illustrations are gorgeous!

Leslie
abcw team

ABC-Wednesday said...

I totaly agree with what Leslie wrote...

People often act to quick, before thinking....sadly enough.

Have a nice ABC-day / - week
Melody (abc-w-team)
http://melodymusic.nl/21-b/

carol l mckenna said...

Wonderful pictures and words for B ~ lessons for us all ~ ^_^

Photo Cache said...

Nice whimsical post.

My ABC WEDNESDAY

The Weaver of Grass said...

I love this Hildred. I have not heard it before but I do love her poetry.
I shall read it at our Poetry group next Wednesday.

Roger Owen Green said...

A bear's gotta do what a bear's gotta do!

ROG, ABCW

Rajesh said...

Good one. I like it.

Lea said...

Bears and Honey - My first thought was Winnie the Pooh!

Joy said...

The happy go lucky pooh bear, the lesson for life of Aesop and a wonderfully dark poem to finish with. You've got everything there.

Betty said...

"Better to bear a single injury in silence than to bring about a thousand by reacting in anger".

So true...especially today with the Internet. Count to 10 (at least) before hitting the send button.

Deepa said...

Lovely take on B

Click Here to see what Mrs. Dash Says

Panharith said...

I love this Hildred. I have not heard it before but I do love her poetry.



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sanpiseth40 said...

A bear's gotta do what a bear's gotta do!


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