Ben Kline
Seizure
The bees knew
not the cost.
Grandpa held
his breath, walked
the yard, his boots unlaced,
copper
aglets kissing
clover, shoving drones
off florets,
dandelions busy
with trade. He neared
the house, the yellow
oak boards free of white keel,
wing, bone
broken wishes
abandoned under cotton
thwip. The bees
knew not
to say no.
They gave their life
in defense. Grandpa
sometimes cursed, shook,
frothed or fell. I knew
not to
rub his belly
soft from work. He would
wake, and I knew
that loss
every Sunday I could
not see you
outside our vestments
hung in the dusty bureau.
I knew
it was not the same,
and I said yes
to your breath on my neck
that night. Grandpa said
the race
to the door slammed
his heart. I did
not say no to you
or the bee
climbing
his muddy cuff.
Ben Kline (he/him) lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. His chapbook SAGITTARIUS A* landed in October 2020 from Sibling Rivalry Press. His chapbook DEAD UNCLES arrives from Driftwood Press in May 2021. A poetry reader for The Adroit Journal, his work is forthcoming or can be found in The Holy Male, The Indianapolis Review, Limp Wrist, DIAGRAM, Hobart, A&U Magazine, and many other publications. You can read more at www.benklineonline.com
Return to May 2021 Edition
The bees knew
not the cost.
Grandpa held
his breath, walked
the yard, his boots unlaced,
copper
aglets kissing
clover, shoving drones
off florets,
dandelions busy
with trade. He neared
the house, the yellow
oak boards free of white keel,
wing, bone
broken wishes
abandoned under cotton
thwip. The bees
knew not
to say no.
They gave their life
in defense. Grandpa
sometimes cursed, shook,
frothed or fell. I knew
not to
rub his belly
soft from work. He would
wake, and I knew
that loss
every Sunday I could
not see you
outside our vestments
hung in the dusty bureau.
I knew
it was not the same,
and I said yes
to your breath on my neck
that night. Grandpa said
the race
to the door slammed
his heart. I did
not say no to you
or the bee
climbing
his muddy cuff.
Ben Kline (he/him) lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. His chapbook SAGITTARIUS A* landed in October 2020 from Sibling Rivalry Press. His chapbook DEAD UNCLES arrives from Driftwood Press in May 2021. A poetry reader for The Adroit Journal, his work is forthcoming or can be found in The Holy Male, The Indianapolis Review, Limp Wrist, DIAGRAM, Hobart, A&U Magazine, and many other publications. You can read more at www.benklineonline.com
Return to May 2021 Edition