Honeybees

Welcome. This is a new series of unpublished poetry called Bloom: A season of grief and gratitude. These poems were written after my Dad’s unexpected death in the same year I became unexpectedly pregnant. The free introduction to this series is below. 🌱

Bloom: A season of grief & gratitude

No one else will ever know the person we loved the way that we knew them. At the same time, we can find connection and community in our ability to share our experiences and stories of loss.

Hello.

This poem is about falling in love while grieving the loss of my Dad. It’s about the fear I felt at opening my heart again and the mystery of life’s sweetest things having the capacity to cause the greatest harm.

You can hear me read the poem and share more of the inspiration behind it by listening to the audio. 👆🎧

Honeybees

Fall bees and
delicate wings
Jars of honey
you stored
in a cupboard
above the stove
now sit, sticky 
in a box
with other things:

A bright blue sweater
I made you buy
before a first date,
a car air freshener
that somehow
smells like you,
and the bear claw quilt,
evidence she really did 
love you
(though you never 
needed it)

Honeybees,
he tells me he’s allergic
as I escort one outside
The sliding door opens
and I set it free
Perched on my finger
able to cause harm
and yet, 
make all things sweet

Pollen soaked bodies
fly from bloom 
to bloom
the nectar of life
side by side
the sting of death

Heartbeats is a community for artists, caregivers, and messy humans who believe in weaving stories of connection and creating tapestries of love. If you receive benefit from my writing, please consider making a financial contribution to continue this work. Thank you for your presence here. 💞

If you’d like to share a resource, ritual, podcast, quote, movie, or song that’s been helpful to you on your journey with grief, please check out and comment on our Resources for Grief thread. 👇

I leave you with this quote from Maya Angelou.

“Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.”

―Maya Angelou

May the sting of life be soothed by the sweetness of companionship.

All my love,
Mariah

Journal Prompts

1. Is there an experience in your life that at first felt like a sting but became sweet? What created the transformation?

2. Have you fallen in love with a broken heart? What was your experience like?

3. Is there a loved one in your life who’s still nurturing or taking care of you in some way from the other side?

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