Where did that bee come from?
Why did it choose to land on her car window?
I can see the future, in an instant.
The bee rushes to the inside of the car door.
I lose sight of it.
I will be too afraid to put Elena in the car seat,
Wondering if the bee will decide to fly about
On the ride back home.
I can’t lose sight of it.
I can’t let it stay.
Elena stands by me in the school’s parking lot,
Watching me
Wondering where the bee will go off to next
I choose to scoop her with one of her books
I can scoop her slowly
But she could get mad at my human-handling
Maybe if I could lower the window enough
To convince her to rest on the other side of the window
Yes, that’s a better plan
I realize I’m holding the car keys
The engine is off
Elena awaits; she barely blinks
I climb in from the front passenger’s seat to turn it back on
I do this quickly, yet slowly
The bee also seems to await my next move
Darnit—the freakin’ child lock thingy for her window is on
I climb into the car again, while answering all of Elena’s questions
I come back out, now I can lower the window
This move could have severe consequences
The bee is still here, holding tight
Halfway down, the window is
Time to scoop
I grab Mucky and his friends for the job
Miska, Muska…
We get it done.
The bee cooperates and goes to the other side
Staying completely still as I bring the window back up
I shut the door, grab Elena’s hand, and we’re off.
I do not like bees.
Start with a Story 
Was it Emily Dickinson who wrote about a bee? I love the authentic moments where poetry is found, and I have a healthy respect for bees as our pollinators and as creatures I sure don’t want to mess with! Glad you found a cooperative bee.
LikeLike
Ana,
I like bees, but I can understand why you wouldn’t want one in the car with your kiddo.
I like how you used poetry to capture the slow motion sense of this moment.
Glad the bee cooperated.
LikeLike