The Queen Bee's Big Adventure

This path leads to another small clearing, where a group of young children are sitting patiently on the ground. Can this really be happening?

An older boy is sitting on a rock in front of them. As soon as you hear his voice, you realize why they are so mesmerized.

You, too, find yourself captured by this man-child with the fawn eyes, big and brown, so easy to get lost in. The voice that fills your ears is like chimes on the wind as it paints its picture. The picture, you realize as you sit behind the children, is of a bee.

It was a beautiful day in the pasture
all the flowers were blooming, even the aster.

But inside the hive, the queen bee was pouting
for she was never allowed to go on an outing.



The workers, her sadness trying to abate,
danced the most beautiful figure eight.

The drones, trying to cheer their mate,
brought her lots of royal jelly and made sure she ate.

But the queen’s sadness would not subside
for all she wanted was to go outside.

She wanted to go where the flowers were in bloom.
She wanted to get out of her six-sided room.

But every bee knows, the queen stays in the hive.
She lays all the eggs. She helps them to thrive.

The drones and the workers decided to meet.
They had to do something for their queen, so sweet.

And so it was decided, one day in July
To let her go out, to let her fly.

Timidly she crept to the door of the hive,
She couldn’t remember when she had felt more alive.

Suddenly, her little wings begin to beat,
Quickly, lifting her off from her feet.

She buzzed from flower to flower to flower,
for what seemed like it must have been an hour,

Tasting the nectar of each little bud
but compared to royal jelly it tasted like mud.

Finally, so tired she could no longer fly,
she decided to rest before she fell out of the sky.



The worried bees were conducting a big search
when they found her asleep on her perch.

Lovingly they placed her onto a leaf
and flew her back home from her trip, so brief.

Once inside her room so snug,
she realized she must be the luckiest bug

For living the life of a queen
was surely better than anything she’d ever seen.

Copyright © 1997 by Kari Drake. All Rights Reserved.