I have the smallest pets.
I don’t keep them in a cage.
I let oregano waves crash
against a rocky shore of thyme and sage,
and, in the white flower-foam,
my wild pets gather and buzz.
They don’t eat seeds like parakeets
or kibbles like cats and dogs
or cicadas like chinchillas.
Instead they need the fine
powder that coats their tiny feet.
They harvest it all day
on white flowers, metallic-pink bells,
yellow sunflowers and common clover.
I leave them be.
They know just how to bee.
I don’t own them,
because you can’t own a wild thing.
But I care for them
every time I deadhead, prune,
plant and water.
Copyright 2017 Brenda Davis Harsham
Notes: Happy Poetry Friday! Thanks to Laura Purdie Salas at Writing the World for Kids for hosting. Special thanks to Michelle Barnes who gave me Pet Crazy, a Poetry Friday Power Book by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong, Pomelo Books, 2017. In it is a delightful poem by Eileen Spinelli, How to Love Your Little Corner of the World. You can see kids bringing it to life here:
Looking over Pet Crazy made me think about my allergies, my sad, pet-free-but-healthy existence, and I realized I am surrounded by pets. Wild ones: caterpillars, dragonflies, bees, bluejays, cardinals. My life is full of color and sound, even though I never have to clean a cage or suffer bronchitis. They hibernate all winter, just like bears. Speaking of bears, I wrote another poem in honor of Pet Crazy, an acrostic (why not try one?):
About My Bear
Franklin’s fuzzy ears and
Round eyes gaze
At mine, as if
Nothing matters but me. He
Knows when I need a hug,
Listens, hears and heals me,
Inside, where it counts. He’s
Not a pet, he’s my truest friend.
Nice one! Thanks for sharing
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks for stopping by.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi!
Nice poetry.
Talking about pets, I recently rescued two squirrel babies.
https://aturquoiseleaf.wordpress.com/2017/11/06/squirrels/
Check them out.
LikeLiked by 2 people
MARVELOUS! Give the world the best you have, and the best will come to you! I want you to know that I really appreciate your efforts. Keep it up!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love your poem about your little pets, which are also my pets. I am looking forward to read more about the simple things in life that bring so much delight to heart and soul.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Peter. Yours is a beautiful love story, a life-story, really.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those bees are my pets, too! (And the butterflies, if they’d ever come back!)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sisters in bee-care. 🙂
LikeLike
This is a fab post! I love both poems. I’ll try an acrostic….soon!
The video was very sweet and precious. Always a delight to visit here, Brenda, in your fairy world.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Fashion
Always
Inspires
Resa.
Yay!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yay!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂 I’m sure I’ll think of another fairy acrostic. But it’s your turn!
LikeLike
Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
BRAVO! SO SORRY I MISSED THIS ON FRIDAY!
LikeLiked by 2 people
No worries. My weekend was consumed by family and new friends. I am very far behind.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ya gotta live! That’s for certain, Enjoy the real world while one can! Especially family and friends. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Likewise! Hope you had a great weekend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yup! Ending up doing 12 hours of covering for a friend at work…plus attending a Sat. nite dinner of galumpki!!!!! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Galumpki!? Sounds good, but I’ve never had any.
LikeLike
Stuffed cabbage leaves—with meat, rice or veggies! Yummy!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh, yum! I have had them then.
LikeLiked by 1 person
GOOG STUFF!!!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Brenda, love how you care for the bees and your attitude of all the wild things as your pets. I tease my husband that the chipmunks that plague our yard are HIS pets. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
LOL Chipmunks are harder to love. They don’t let me photograph them. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Welcome, Pollinators!!! And we all have a Franklin! Thanks for sharing him with us, Brenda.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I’ve had him since the year 2000. He’s my millennium bear.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So cute, your Franklin acrostic!!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thanks, Robin.
LikeLike
Great post, Brenda. I especially love this: “I let oregano waves crash
against a rocky shore of thyme and sage,” Simply fabulous! Here’s to the bees!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’ll drink to that. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Brenda, I salute your poem on bees. They are fascinating creatures. While I am allergic to insect bites, I am fascinated by the bees buzz in my flowers. Thursday, I stood in silence watching a plump bee move in and out of my garden. Quietly, I photographed it. Now, I have your inspired poem to spur me to write.
LikeLiked by 2 people
They are easier to photograph in the fall. The seem slower and nearer hibernation every day.
LikeLike
Bee-utiful! This was so cute and vivid. Some day soon I hope to build some houses for mason bees with the kids.
LikeLiked by 2 people
What a great idea. I hope you have time. The days blur past too fast.
LikeLike
Brenda, what a delight it must be to capture such miracles. “You can’t own a wild thing.” Such a great line to reiterate each day in our busy lives. Thanks, Brenda!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Kiesha. I’m glad it resonated well with you.
LikeLike
I couldn’t imagine my life without animals. I’m glad you have the bees in your little corner of the world!
LikeLiked by 2 people
And bunnies in the back.
LikeLike
A fellow allergy sufferer! Atchoo! But you’re very right, even if we don’t have animals in our homes, we are blessed to enjoy the company of them all around us, every day.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The natural world is a beautiful place. I have bunnies in my backyard, and I don’t have to do a thing for them. I just forego weedkiller.
LikeLike
Brenda, I especially love your kind, caretaking poem about bees. The idea that wild things also need caretaking, just in very different ways, is an important one.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Laura.
LikeLike
I love the little twist in the last three lines of your Pet Wild poem. And Franklin is pure warm and fuzzy!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thanks, Kat. Franklin is the fuzziest! 🙂
LikeLike
Mmmmmmm those oregano waves…..they smell delicious! What’s deadhead?
Great pet care here. We cannot own bees. But, we’d better tend them or we are in big trouble!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Deadheading is cutting off the wasted blooms. For a lot of plants, that encourages the growth of new blooms, which bees need.
LikeLike
Much to love here today, Brenda – glad the bees have friends like you. And what fun to watch those adorable kids bring Eileen’s poem to life. Thanks for sharing all!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Glad you had time to stop by Robyn!
LikeLike
Yea for the bees–and those who care for them by tending flowers! We have astors blooming right now and the bees are dancing among the blooms every day.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thankful for bees and gardeners everywhere. Asters are pretty.
LikeLike
Brenda, this is so lyrically lovely — one of your best. You really are the bee’s knees. 😀 Hugs on the wing!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thanks, Teagan, you charmer!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bees as pets—creative poem! They do look fuzzy and huggable except we know they wouldn’t hug back! Love the bear poem, too!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Penny. For hugs, dogs can’t be beat. I’ve always wanted a dog. But being happy with what one has is better.
LikeLike
Our bees are dwindling, readying for their hiatus here, but I love the idea that they are my pets. I spend a lot of time watching them in my garden. Your picture and the poem are wonderful, Brenda. Busy bees that stay to work in my garden make me happy all spring and summer long.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Linda, no doubt they are aware of you and appreciate your care of your garden. I wonder if the buzzing dance of bees, as they relate directions to the best flowers in the hive, also has a haiku of appreciate for weather, gardening and humor. I like to think so.
LikeLike
Your post made me happy today — so full of goodness. Love both your poems. I can totally relate to having wild, outdoor “yard pets,” and of course Franklin sounds like the best (maybe he and Cornelius are cousins)! Enjoyed the sweet video too. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Likewise, Jama. You are a lovely blogger. Maybe someday we’ll meet in person. XOXO
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love your alternative takes on pets. Such a sweet bear. And your “oregano waves crash
against a rocky shore of thyme and sage” and “white flower-foam” — ♥♥♥
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Tabatha. My herb garden is well-established. Or overgrown, depending on your point of view. 😉
LikeLike
FRANKLINS Perfect Brenda, from inside out! I love your pets in PET WILD, especially the bee, I’m partial to them too, and your image is beautiful. Thanks for the heartfelt poem by Eileen Spinelli.We have pets without feathers or hair, for I have many allergies too.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sympathies on the allergies. I wish I could get a dog or a cat, or a few of both. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
What about a hypoallergenic dog, sometime I may look into that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope it works for you! I’m afraid I’d still be allergic.
LikeLike
so cute!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks!
LikeLike
Great poem Brenda – makes a great start to my Friday morning at work now. Yes, we need the pollinators else no flowers nor honey to eat! Thanks 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yes! Long live the bee!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Brenda…love the poem and the adorable video. The kids are soooooo cute:) LOL Just great.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Aren’t they cute? Their poem choice is perfect, too.
LikeLike
Excellent Poetry! 😎😎😎🥀🥀🥀
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks!
LikeLike