Jayne Fenton Keane
Notes from the Abdomens of Bees
(i)
flower dance code
(ii)
Apis mellifera
At the point where neck meets clavicle
an indecipherable thrum of crimson.
Someone watches it quicken.
Sunflowers silky and luminous
tilt towards midday. Voltage agitates
the rhythm of a distant hive.
(iii)
Megachile
(iv) The smoke bearer
His hands are restless explorers
named wing and wing.
Honey, thief, I am sleepy
Too sleepy for that
distant spoon full of promises.
A spoon catches the sun in its warm slopes.
Eyes scoop up the signal and its slurred
traces of avocado, sun-dried tomatoes
black olives, lentils, spinach tortillas
burnt sugar, rose petals and berry nectar.
(v) Wing and Wing
(vi) Colony
Jayne Fenton Keane is the author of three poetry books, radio plays, a stage play and five multi-media collections. She was the Founding Director of National Poetry Week (2002-2006) and a Co-director of the Queensland Poetry Festival (2002-2004). Completing a doctorate in 2008 at Griffith University, her research interests include poetics, embodiment, digital ecologies and science-art. JFK has been a recipient of Asialink, Australia Council and Arts Queensland grants and her work has been translated into Korean, Chinese, Dutch, German, Spanish and Zulu.
A pdf of the poem can be read here.