an ancient oak taking a kneenot because it wanted  but because the current property owner decided it should come down

       he saw the house turn three times in the last nine years  current tenant were all tenants moved in a little over a year ago                                

he wondered if oak wiffed its demise

it was huge

workers cut at it with chain saws from two buckets took down its smaller limbsbranches

but oak had a surprise

                         they cut it to gnarly Y  its left curled out over the road an ended in a curlicue an questionmark  its right had been cut lower an discovered a hollow

                                                     inside were bees 

                                                                         the buckets shot up bouncedbobbedplummeted to escape their fury 

he laughedthought

                    Good tree good tree still holding your own 

For now it moaned

by the time he returned the trucks and workers had fled

as he went to pass earlier a worker warned him

the bees formed a thick column

Im good he said I didnt violate them

                                       he walked past him anto the right of the column  he thanked the bees for their help 

bees paid him no heed

                        bees never paid him heed  as a boy he cuppedcradled bees in his hands  saved them from drowning in swimming pools or lakes  he had established cred goodstanding in their hive mind everyanywhere he went 

       he knew it like he knew his left from his right

howls sounded behind him

Retribution

couldnt pay him to cut a tree down

he climbed themplanted them  he was on their side

they were the planets lungs

a basic premise seemed lost

bees were also critical

                         also seemed lost

thick dull human beens

1417,  Day-between-Two-Ts,  26  1. 22