Finding Home
May 22, 2007
Today I am in Winston Churchill Park in the heart of downtown Edmonton. I am set up directly in front of the hive mind of city hall. The once-green lawn has been paved over with patterned concrete. The lawn that remains has been fenced off from the public to keep the homeless from pitching their tents on the grass. The first person whom we encountered was a gentle security guard, who was soon joined by two more hive guards who sniffed me out and decided I was harmless. The second encounter was with a guy who asked if he could have my tent. He was homeless even though he had a job down the street at a local sporting goods store. This park is full of the working homeless. Last night the police shut down a tent city a few blocks away from when I am now. I send a message to the bees to help the homeless find their way home.
Many people are relaxing on their lunch break and drinking in the sunshine. It is a glorious day with the blue sky and cumulus clouds reflected in the glass pyramid on the roof of city hall. The most moving message I've had came today from a Vietnam Vet. He sent a message asking that the people he killed in the war would find peace. A man is a lovely Hawaiian shirt tells me about his love of honey. He always brings back honey from his travels, and his favorite honey comes from Hawaii. Another quiet gentle man sits with me for twenty minutes and sketches out a simple message of his love for the bees.
I've decided to make a book on how to become a Beespeaker. Part one: calm your mind. Part two: visualize the last bee you saw. Part Three: Imagine you can see with the eyes of that bee. To be continued....