ISSUE 1
BEE LB
ABUNDANCE
after Mary Oliver
look around, you are surrounded by life. no less
than two dozen living things are learning to flourish
through your touch. there is beauty in that. there is
also great sorrow. the two are not at odds. they are
grasping hands, balancing each other. though it may feel
as though you are pulled at both ends, you can find stillness
if you focus. sit with your feet touching the ground. the earth.
or stand. there are no rules. breathe in. remind yourself
that out of all the requirements needed for life,
you have found yourself in the one place that meets each.
remember, you are surrounded by life. do not turn away
from your grief, your regret, your many deep angers.
do not allow yourself to steep in them, either.
pull the dead leaves from your plants. change the water
growing filmy with sediment, allow your propagations
to breathe. do not forget to sprinkle cinnamon
after each watering to keep the gnats from returning.
know that these lives are dependent on your own.
know that yours is dependent on theirs as well. breathe.
balance. accept both what you have and what you don’t.
BEE LB is an array of letters, bound to impulse. they have called any number of places home; currently, a single yellow wall in Michigan. they have been published in Revolute Lit, After the Pause, and Roanoke Review, among others. they are the 2022 winner of FOLIO’s Editor’s Prize for Poetry as well as the Bea Gonzalez Prize for Poetry. they are a poetry reader for Capsule Stories. You can find them on Instagram @twinbrights, and you can view their portfolio at twinbrights.carrd.co