A Covenant

There is a buzz floating in the air
a communal thrumming melody
of frenetic activity surrounding the
apiaries set in the meadow
nearby ripening gooseberries
overrun with the purple flowers
of meandering cowvetch, ample
flowering clover underfoot
as the beekeeper slowly waves
his smudgepot, exiting bees
paying no mind at his familiar
presence. The coming and going
proceeds uninterrupted under
the placid sky the colour of
glacial ice, the burning orb of
the sun benevolent and warm
reassurance that all is well with
the world of man the grand
manipulator of nature's largess
and the industrious creatures
whose labour he so ably manages.