when Zeus of Olympus was just a small child
he was hidden away in the deep forest wild
cared for by a nymph, Melissa was her name
she did her job well, no harm to him came

now, feeding an Olympian takes patience and skill
so main courses were venison, seasoned with dill
washed down with water from the river in the glen
Zeus ate until he could no more, but then. . .

what to feed Zeus when he’s ready for dessert?
Melissa thought and thought until her head hurt
then, walking through the forest, what did she see?
a sweet, honey-filled comb, home to many bees

she brought down the hive with one wave of her hand
and it was eaten, by her growing little man
he liked it so much, that to really tell the truth
Zeus started to develop quite the sweet tooth

then it came to pass that Zeus was found one day
and Melissa was the one who was made to pay
for hiding her Zeus from the enemies of man
she was made a bug, and forced to crawl the land

later the Olympians would win their glorious fight
and they set about quickly to make things right
they couldn’t change Melissa to what she was before
but could they make her into something more?

Zeus remembered those many long years back
memories of honey, and how his lips would smack
so he changed Melissa into a honeybee
to make honey for him, and for us too, you see?

so when next you see a hive of busy bees
take a minute to remember my tale if you please
and when you hear them buzzing in the summer sky
stop and say, “Thank you, Melissa” as you walk by.

Note: Melissa was a nymph who took care of the child Zeus when he was being sought by Cronus.  She was eventually found and changed into a bug.  Zeus, taking pity on her, changed her into a honeybee.

Melissa was also the name of one of the High Priestesses of Diana in Ephesus and means "honeybee".  The buzz of the honeybee has also been referred to as "the Voice of the Goddess".

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