We come upon them,
stilled atop bright yellow
coneflowers near sunset,
settled in for the coming night,
so quiet they hardly seem alive.

But this is how bumblebees
rest, the females returning to
the nest, the males in need
of a safe haven to bed down.

We all look for a place of refuge
where we can fold our wings
and rest our fuzzy heads
full of a day’s business.
And if we can do so with
companions, more the better.

We fortunately retired worker
bees admire the assemblage
of more than a dozen snoozing
pollinators spread across a sprawl
of petals the color of sunshine,
careful not to disturb them.

May the day’s residual heat
keep them cozy overnight until
fresh sunlight arrives to warm
their wings, spirit them into
flight and buzz their way
back to work again.

•••

With thanks to Kathy Keatley Garvey for her Bug Squad blog posts that teach me so much about insects. And to Dick Schmidt, retired (Sacramento) Bee photographer, for his kindness in shooting on-the-spot assignments like this one.