<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
On becoming a bee<\/strong><\/p>\n Choosing when was difficult. What time of year? Honey-scented? I\u2019m over romanticising. It\u2019ll be clustered Spring to summer might be best, a six-week stretch, My children wanted to know \u2013 Why? I tell my children I have to work my way up before I get outside. \u201cYou\u2019re old enough to do it for yourselves.\u201d God only knows they\u2019ve seen the worst of me already and besides Will it hurt? What will happen? What will you do? \u201cWhen I do get out…\u201d \u201cYou\u2019ll look for us?\u201d \u201cOh…I\u2019ll have to learn to shit mid-air. They both thought this funny So the day came. We went into the garden. Yes, the sun was out, \u201cHere\u2019s where I turn myself inside-out.\u201d A dandelion clock rolls between us. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jenny Hope<\/strong> is a writer, poet and workshop facilitator. She lives on top of a hill in wildish-Worcestershire. Her websites are www.jennyhope.co.uk<\/a> and www.poetrymaker.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On becoming a bee Choosing when was difficult. What time of year? Winter could get me five months or so, if you were lucky enough to make the cut, to be spent mostly in the hive. Bee Hygge? Honey-scented? I\u2019m over romanticising. It\u2019ll be clustered together for warmth. And besides, these bees aren\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[137],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2018-poetry-picks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17727"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17727\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17730,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17727\/revisions\/17730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inksweatandtears.co.uk\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nWinter could get me five months or so, if you were lucky enough
\nto make the cut, to be spent mostly in the hive. Bee Hygge?<\/p>\n
\ntogether for warmth. And besides, these bees aren\u2019t Danish.<\/p>\n
\nbut I\u2019ll pray for decent weather. I\u2019m reliably informed
\nI can go in at cleaner level \u2013 (accreditation for prior learning they called it).<\/p>\n
\nChildren always do \u2013 especially when full-grown.
\nWhy? Because my job here\u2019s done. You don\u2019t need me now.<\/p>\n
\nCleaning, nursing, building, guarding \u2013 \u201cOh you\u2019ve done all that already.\u201d
\nI know, (but marvel how they do actually remember this)<\/p>\n
\nThey\u2019re not impressed. \u201cI\u2019ll always be your mother…\u201d
\nOf course I\u2019d let them watch the process of me becoming bee.<\/p>\n
\nthey need the closure.<\/p>\n
\nThey\u2019re still asking the \u201cwhy?\u201d My heart buzzes.
\nThey look unsure.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cYes…\u201d they\u2019re happier now. \u201cWhat else will you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\nespecially when I told them I\u2019d get on-the-job training.<\/p>\n
\na warm mid-spring day. I wouldn\u2019t see the sun for a while.<\/p>\n
\nI pause for effect, and to lighten the moment.
\n\u201c and I officially become hard-arsed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cMum…\u201d My daughter\u2019s hand holds mine.
\nMy son catches the clock.<\/p>\n