pet bee

this year bees came the size of dogs.
a hive took over the old movie store 
that's been vacant since i was eight.
their honey pouring across the sidewalk.
everything smells like syringe & omen.
i walk down to try to court one 
of the creatures. i have always loved 
dangerous company. stingers 
the size of kitchen knives. they say
by the year 2050, that bees will be
the size of volkswagen beetles. i have
never been so ready for the end times.
i do not save baseball cards or photographs.
i eat with my favorite spoon. i scroll
looking for a video that will ring
all the bells of my little chapel. 
the bees swarm. fur on their backs.
eyes like two-way mirrors. fun house horrors.
no one else comes to greet them. i bring
offerings of flowers. i tell them 
if i could i would swarm too. 
i wait patiently for hours. try to find
a god to pray for & picture him as a great bee.
his form eclipsing the sun. finally,
one comes forward. he fits perfectly
into the medium dog collar i bought
at the pet store up the street.
i say, "we are going to sing everyday together."
the bee laughs like a dvd player
& together we walk home in the seeds
of a perfect end times. for now
the trees are fruiting. for now we are 
each other's companion. i confess
to the bee. "i have always been by myself."
the bee does not answer. i feel 
her words in the tall grass. she's saying,
"you are in good company.
a hive is a place where everyone is alone."