Sunflower - study 2

He waved at me from a distance,
faceless.
Only the hand said goodbye:
"I have lived and loved this earth.
Now I return to the Mother."

Through the years, we smiled at the sky
over coffee in the sun,
a pack of biscuits split open
so the foil inside gleamed in the rays.

In our sweet-soaked white uniforms
zipped down to the mid-riff,
we laughed at the swelling of our fingers,
reveled in our tireless winged comrades. 

Sometimes I think all I know about joy
Comes from that birthing table.
Take some with you, you hear,
Leave the tools with me.

Lean on the Mother
when you don't know where to turn.
It's alright if you are small again,
Look what you have left behind.

On a form of goodbye to a devoted, beloved beekeeper, my teacher of nearly twenty years, provoked by the sight of these sunflowers on my farm.