Ode to Stuffing Envelopes

For the vast majority of last week my work at Laumeier Sculpture Park consisted of stuffing envelopes with invites for the fall fundraiser Carts and Cocktails. This work entailed sticking labels on envelopes, stuffing the invites, RSVP cards, and return envelopes into the labeled envelopes, putting stamps on the envelopes, and sealing all the envelopes shut. Now this may not seem too tasking, but it can be when done approximately 500 times in a row. It felt like my life had been engulfed by the wide, hungry mouths of so many of the envelopes that I sealed shut. There is only way to deal with this kind of letterhead-induced angst: write a poem. So here it goes...

On buzzing golf carts a fundraiser is fast approaching,
Where the tongue shall bee met with rich foods and many libations.
A hive of honeycombs alive with chatter and laughing,
And colonies of art lovers gather nectar at blossoming stations.

Yet before the pleasure of honeyed joy can bee savored,
The invitations must bee released in a liberally flying swarm.
The task is given to eager visitor services drones,
A somewhat daunting function is now theirs to perform.

With flourishing arms and dancing digits duties are assigned,
The little honey bees hastening to label, stuff, stamp, and seal.
A humdrum task that yearns for flowers to bee desired,
With the added sting of paper cuts creating a risky ordeal.

First the labels must bee affixed in deft alphabetical order,
Then invite, reply card and envelope placed by busy humming.
Next the postage stamps fastened in the upper right most part,
Last to clinch shut with tacky wax as open mouths keep coming.

When the flapping wings are exhausted and tactile feelers worn,
And the monotonous filling of combs leave the drones too tried to think.
It is then time to mail off the lovely invites and hurry up the party,
Long hours and repetition leave this honey bee in need of a drink.