BEE-WARE

 

BEE-WARE

Look at the herb garden divided in fifths.

There’s plenty of lavender blossoms blooming in drifts.

There’s chives, sage, bee balm, oregano, thyme – my spirit lifts.

Herb bouquets do smell delightful and also make great gifts.

Stuff herbs in a tea ball to make homemade broth fragrant.

My herb garden was designed like a wagon wheel, adrift.

In the center of the "wheel," a "hub" container filled with a gift,

surrounded by chives which yearly grow into larger drifts,

then pretend wooden "spokes" divide the "wheel" circle into fifths.

These herbs are yearly divided to control their expanding drifts.

As more herbs were coveted or given to me over time, as gifts,

containers now fill in the barren spaces adding more fragrance.

Five recycled containers in total hold the annuals, as lifts:

parsley, rosemary, lemon verbena, pineapple sage, basil - all fragrant.

Each scented herb, a delight to the nose and palate, lifts my spirit.

Now BEE careful when you bend down to take a sniff

for bumbleBEEs and honeyBEEs might have a fit.

Please watch out for BEEs in yellow jackets stiff.

If you’re not careful someone or something will BEE miffed.

Would it BEE the BEEs or you with a stiff upper lip?

Just BEEware next time you take a whiff.

Now you wouldn’t want to cause a rift

for the BEEs can either BEE a gardener’s gift

or cause the gardener to do the BEEbop quick.

Next time you’re in the herbs, take a sniff

but please BEEware of causing a tiff.

So BEEware of what you might sniff

or a BEE you will wear - sniff-sniff!

* * * * *

BEEware of the gossipers and slanderers

for they will do the same to you, remember.

BEEfore you repeat, remember how you were hurt

when about you someone gossiped, when they dished the dirt.

BEEware of envy

and its twin jealousy

for they will rot the bones

and turn the heart to stone.

BEEware of the love of money

for unhealthy greed for currency

can cause deep sorrow and much grief

for illegal gain is like a thief.

BEEware of greed

for its seed

will overtake

and turn to hate.

To always BEE

the best you can BEE,

BEEware of these

transgressions, please:

A gossip betrays a confidence;

so avoid a man who talks too much.

Proverbs 20:19

A gossip separates close friends.

Proverbs 16:28

Do not go about spreading slander.

Leviticus 19:16

He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous,

who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue,

who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman.

Psalm 15:2-3

Remind the people to be subject to rules and authorities,

to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good,

to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate,

and show true humility toward all men.

Titus 3:1-2

Envy rots the bones.

Proverbs 14:30b

If you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts,

do not boast about it or deny the truth.

Such wisdom does not come down from heaven

but is earthly, nonspiritual, of the devil.

For where you have envy and selfish ambition,

there you find disorder and every evil practice.

James 3:14-16

Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit,

hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.

I Peter 2:1

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.

I Timothy 6:10a

Be on your guard against all kinds of greed;

a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.

Luke 12:15

A greedy man brings trouble to his family.

Proverbs 15:27

Life Is a Garden Party

is available via Amazon.

Story from Vol IV.