Here are my bees,
brazen, blurs on paper,
besotted; buzzwords, dancing
their flawless, airy maps.

Been deep, my poet bees,
in the parts of flowers,
in daffodil, thistle, rose, even
the golden lotus; so glide,
gilded, glad, golden, thus –

wise – and know of us:
how your scent pervades
my shadowed, busy heart,
and honey is art.

Carol Ann Duffy (via)

This is the first poem in the 2011 book "The Bees". "Weaving through the book is its presiding spirit, the bee, symbolizing what we have left of grace in the world and what is most precious for us to protect.Winner of the 2011 Costa Poetry Award."

The illustration is from the blog of Jasna Guy, who has been working with beeswax and stamping.