Winner | Poem of the Week Contest
Kevin Swanwick of Walden, New York for “Tell the Bees”
Tell the Bees
for Darya
Let the bees know.
Stay for a while
and place a cup,
his ginger ale,
beneath their frames.
Ask them to build a bridge
from here to there.
Tell them he found
their wing beats Blessed
and now sees them
in endless array.
Ask them to carry on,
and tell the winter bees
he is waiting
in the slant light of the sun.
Tell them he’ll be there in spring
to watch their waggle dance
while he helms his ship of Light.
*
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Urged to write poetry by his 11th grade English teacher, Sally Littlefield, Kevin Swanwick returned to the abandoned craft after many seasons.
Swanwick lives in the Hudson Valley where he closely observes nature. His first poem, “Goshen,” appeared in Onager Editions. Other early poems appear in Chronogram, La Presa (English & Spanish), Unleash Press, Canary (Hip Pocket Press), & Triggerfish Critical Review. His short fiction has appeared at The Strange Recital podcast and Prometheus Dreaming.
Tell the Bees © 2025 Kevin Swanwick
Simply lovely, Kevin – and that closing line is not only beautiful but feels like an opening, and sent me right back to the beginning to reread. Great economy of words too. Congratulations!
Thank you, Lynne!
After a couple of hours crying (my husband passed away a month ago yesterday), I sought relief by checking out the short fiction and poetry in my Inbox. Imagine my surprise to see that your name is Kevin (also my husband’s) and that your beautiful poem is about loss. While I was initially hesitant to keep on reading, I’m glad I did. It was a great source of comfort. Profoundly heartening. Thank you.
Amanda,
Thank for sharing your experience here. So poignant. I suspect there are no coincidences. I am sorry for your loss, and happy that the poem shed some light for you.
Kevin