Karl Ove Knausgaard is a Responsible Beekeeper, or My Struggle (to Find a Word That Rhymes)

Inspiration

Karl Ove Knausgaard is a Responsible Beekeeper, or My Struggle (to Find a Word That Rhymes) was written because I keep bees myself and I couldn't get rid of an ear worm which insisted on rhyming Knausgaard with "mouse guard". For those who don't know, a mouse guard is a strip of metal with holes in it that a responsible beekeeper places across the entrance to each hive during the winter months in order to stop rodents from seeking warmth inside the hive. I have a mouse guard, but every year since I've had it, I've never actually got round to attaching it. Having read the first couple of volumes of KOK's magnum opus, "My Struggle", I got the impression that if he did keep bees (and I haven't yet come across any reference to confirm or deny this), he would indeed be an entirely responsible one.

Despite a number of attempts, this poem was not published anywhere else prior to inclusion in this collection, nor was it placed in any competitions.