Apple Blossoms

  Spring Storm and Pear Trees was the free verse Poem that Doctor Turner read on Thursday of last week.  While I immensely enjoyed all of his works, this one gave me the most vivid mental picture, not because I knew what pear trees in bloom looked like, but because of an apple tree that while growing up had sat in front of one of my bedroom windows.  I had claimed the tree as my own, and was very quick to yell at my brothers if they started to climb it or break it's branches.  Thinking back now, I believe in a way I considered it a dear friend, who grew older with me as the years passed on.  On windy nights, it's branches would scrape against the window of my room, scaring me at first then becoming a lulling sound in the storm.  In the winter, it stood solemn and bare, but in the spring it was the most romantic tree.  Although it never produced fruit, every year thousands and thousands of blooms would fill the tree producing the most wonderful smell and I would leave my windows open just to bring the apple blossom smell into my room.  Along with the pale pink flowers, bees would swarm around the tree, creating a relaxing sound.  Bees were always something that scared me when I was younger, and although I loved the tree, I would avoid it outside because of the hundreds of bees that traveled to collect pollen and nectar next to my house.   But when I got older, I actually worked with bees for a summer job and my fear of them has decreased tremendously.  As we are talking about "the end," or Apocalypse portion of this class, I have to think of bees a little bit.  All summer long, these little insects work much like ants.  Every morning after the temperature raises to around 50 degrees, the workers leave the hive and start their daily journey to find nectar and pollen.  They will travel up to a five mile radius in order to find both food and water.  One hive can produce up to 100 pounds of honey in one summer.  This is all to prepare for winter.  This made me think of the end period.  I don't know why I associate winter with end, maybe because it is the end of the year or maybe because of the cold harsh weather.  I was surprised at how Spring Storm and Pear Trees made me reminisce of childhood memories though.