ODE TO ROBCOL73

On the 23rd day of June of 1973
191 busy and beligrant bees
Set out their ways in life

Life was awaiting them with surprizes,
None of them equipped with sparring arms,
Yet, strong they were at 
heart
Did  not even question whether they could or could not
Off  they went to live and see
They were all fighters without a doubt

Some bees found their ways in faraway lands
Some preferred to stay close to home
Some travelled the world 
Some came back to nest where they were born.

Years flew by as fast as bees do
All bees worked as hard as they were supposed to
None of them let it go for vain
They all found a shelter in the rain

One day one of the bees sat down contemplating
Thought about his friends whom he lost touch
Wanted to reach them and tell them that he missed them much

Time was flying so were they
Who could tell if they'd ever see each other one day
He decided to find all the bees that he grew in the same tree
Which he called RobCol 73

Some bees had hatched and grew in number,
Some survived earthquake and thunder
Some were building hives strong and firm
And all were busy with a life to earn

One by one all the bees of the RobCol73
Were invited to a gathering at their tree
A tree that branched out to sites and rooms
Where they displayed their honey and their blooms

Happy were they that most were back together
After all those years of departing as if forever
Now they were enjoying good old days
In the music that they used to listen and dance

After twenty-eight good years 
Roses were still pink and violets were still blue 
They were out there for them to smell and buzz through
Jubilent were they as lady bees and gentle bees buzzed along
Enjoying  breezes and friendly flights together, not alone.


Yasemin Alptekin Ošuzertem - June 2001
Ankara