Queen

A Poem

Let’s talk about the bee

A tiny death, for a tiny love
They say the sting is the end

They don’t talk about how the bee lives
In a hive
How it dances for its sisters
How it knows where nectar is
How it takes a community to have a queen

The bee that knows a tiny death
Is the one making honey

I’ve been in love with scorecards
Tallied-up kindnesses and booby traps
The ones I’ve jumped into to prove I could heal
I’ve been in love with a kind of spying
Wearing a disguise
To avoid being seen

Is love worth it when you’re loved for how you survive?

Perhaps.

I want a tiny love that’s like a diner at 2 a.m.
Fluorescent lights and bottomless coffee
Where conversation is the main course
And laughter is dessert

With someone who understands
That my heart-shaped locket is already full
With the faces of friends who have carried me
When my wings grew too heavy to fly
Full of a love so big it brings back a new season
Of blossoms

Do you know the dance?