Jewel, A Hive – Tan Jie Ying

Jewel: a Hive, or a Paradise?
By Tan Jie Ying

A bustling glass hive.
Human bees running errands –
their busyness clashing with the serenity 
of a man-made paradise encased in glass.
Being human, it seems, means
a balance of paradoxes.
A constant choice
between ticking off endless to-do lists,
or being quiet
sitting, listening,
cognisant of the ticking of our hearts.