I have collected 1000s of bugs.
Most tucked away in drawers and jars.
Catalogued for future reference
By myself or another.
My joy is in the collecting.
Meandering through fields of lilac and thistle
I sometimes see new delicate creatures.
Usually, I seek after my favorites.
There is a field I know not far from my home
Full of wonderful honeybees.
We get along fantastically
Mostly minding our own business.
The shaded area at the top of the hill
Has the largest hive
A catered to queen
And enough honey to feed an army.
The hives at the bottom of the hill
Are more aggressive.
There is no need to go there.
At times I imagine myself
Holding bugs in my hands
As I would Yin and Yang.
In my left I hold a monarch.
In my right an angry hornet.
Both of my palms are loosely closed.
Both of my bugs are passive.
I go about my day laughing with bees.
The monarch and hornet are there when needed.
I will let them sleep.
There is no need to look at them.
Should a wanderer ask to see a monarch
Perhaps I let her fly away
And we both relish in joy.
Should an enemy enter my camp
I will show them the monarch first
And only release the hornet
As a last resort.
Eager to return to my bee fields
Away from this cacophonic madness.