Locked inside
a wood and wire cage
buried deep in soft honeycomb,
a Pollack of nectar and honey,
paces a new virgin queen
anxious
to replace
the faltering first royal,
her genetic lineage
in question,
her weakness
threatening the health
of the colony.
-
Re-Queening
a maintenance not uncommon
to marrying for title;
cold, calculating
in service
to genetics
to better battle
the underclass
of pestilence,
the Varroa mite.
-
Autumn’s Hope
languishes
in her prison
for four long days
being fed and fanned,
her new girlish scent
alerting the swollen hive
to her noble presence.
-
If accepted
rather than slaughtered,
she is released,
ascending the throne
amongst the throng;
her virginity
powdered, puffed
and prepped
for her maiden flight
to bee serviced
by randy drones,
laid
amongst the last blooms
of fall’s garden.
-
If Autumn’s Hope
manages
to find her way home,
her walk of shame
will not be
in party dress
and oversized sunglasses
but rather in
slutty
swaggering
triumph,
for she now bears
a lifetime of sperm
in her tiny abdomen
with which to fertilize
a lifetime of eggs.
-
So many variables,
possibilities for failure:
a hungry bird
unrequited lust,
a misdirected honing signal.
-
But I’ve made it this far,
and hopefully
so will she.
-
#bee #beekeeping #backyardbeekeeping #longmayshereign
(at At Home in Napa)