THINGS TO DO IF YOU ARE A HONEYBEE : Two Versions

I had to revise several of the poems that were in my original THINGS TO DO manuscript. Some had minor revisions; some required major revisions. One that underwent a major change was the honeybee poem, which had originally been a "worker bee" poem.

Things to do if you are a WORKER BEE as it appeared in my manuscript:

Be yellow and fuzzy.

Stay busy. Be buzzy.

Tidy and clean.

Tend to your queen.

Be a working machine—

A syrup collector.

Go forage for nectar.

Reap pollen from flowers.

Don’t spend idle hours.

Don’t sit and relax.

Make honey and wax.

You must toil without end—

Yours is a lifetime of labor,

My friend.

My editor Melissa Manlove thought the poem was too long. She suggested I keep just the first two lines...and leave the poem at that. I decided to add two new lines to the beginning.

The final draft of Things to do if you are a HONEYBEE:

Flit among flowers.

Sip nectar for hours.

Be yellow and fuzzy.

Stay busy.

Be buzzy.

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REMINDER: I am giving away signed copies of my book THINGS TO DO during National Poetry Month. I will collect the names of people who have commented on my blog posts this second week of April and put them in a bag. Next Sunday, I will draw a name from the bag of someone who commented on a post that I published during the week of April 8-14.

Drawing dates: April 15, 22, 29, 30.