It seems I have become one of the Bee People
You have seen the Bee People –
(as opposed to actual bees that are on the way to being endangered)
But the Bee People
We flit our round bodies from shiny thing
to shiny thing
Barely stopping to take in the latest
outrage
tragedy
Netflix series
court decision
We take a sip at each but
not enough for understanding
not enough for action
beyond tossing out a tweet and a dollar or two
before the next colorful thing
attracts us.

I have become one of the Bee People
What must I do to be saved?
the rich young ruler cried
‘You must give it all up-
your twitter, your facebook
your reddit, your tiktok
You must give up your riches and give to the poor.’
and I walked away
because my faux outrage keeps me warm
like a childhood blanket.
Because it is so much easier to be sequestered
in a tower of bits and bytes
than to smell the sweat of the real people
of atoms and molecules.

I have become one of the Bee people.
But there is hope, I am told
that if only
if only
I learn patience
I learn breathing
I learn focus
I learn a long obedience in the same direction
maybe I could be people once more.