Carolina Bragg's "If Bees Are Few"

Artist Statement

A. R. Ammons is my favorite environmental poet. His written snapshots of the natural world are forthright about the peril nature is in, but also about its potential for regrowth. This composition for SSA choir is set to two of his works about a single bee. In one of these poems, "Release," the bee travels homeward. In the other, "Oblivion’s Bloom," the bee meets its death upon the arrival of the first cold. Ammons’ writing resonates today, as carbon emissions, loss of habitat, and the pesticide industry cause the unprecedented destruction of honey bee colonies. I chose to reorder the poems so that Oblivion’s Bloom comes first, after which the bee, perhaps representative of the whole species, finds his way home. Melodically and thematically, this piece explores the idea of home: the bee's home, and the home he shares with us.

OBLIVION’S BLOOM

Struck head to
ground in
first cold
the bumblebee
turns
in the sweetest
nectar yet.

RELEASE

After a long
muggy
hanging
day
the raindrops
started so
sparse
the bumblebee flew
between
them home.

Materials Used

Original vocals by me, Logic Pro