I am waiting for a day that is warm
and without wind. I need a split
for my mediums, a spring swarm
to find my trap and deign to use it.
I’ve painted boxes, placed lavender
sprays in line to wick the top feeder,
used lemongrass oil as lure. However
empty my frames are now, I shall keep
a smoker close. Come, wayward queen
and nurses: bring pollen for your brood.
When I say hope, know that I mean
you; a reason to lay ear against wood.
Rebecca Patrascu works as a library associate for the Sonoma County Library. Her writing has appeared in publications including Smartish Pace, Glint, The Shore, Bracken Magazine, Prairie Schooner, Colorado Review, and Valparaiso Review. She has an MFA from Pacific University and is the author of the chapbook Before Noon. She catches honeybee swarms in the spring.