The Sting (explained)

He walks in.

He flies by.

Their golden hair

Moves through the sky.

He lands on 

A flowered skirt.

He has on

A flowered shirt.

He buzzes on.

He chats about.

A worker's life,

The world around

A precious cargo.

He takes hold.

A heart that is

In his control.

He sinks in,

And so does he.

Something isn't 

As it seems.

He's been tricked,

But he can feel

The difference when

It isn't real.

He is moved.

He is changed

When the currents 

Rearrange.

Now he will leave,

And so will he.

Sun on wings,

And shoes on feet.

I won't see him.

He won't see me.

When I turn my

Head to scream.

Not the same,

But the thing

I hate is how 

They share the sting.

Poetry Explained!

This poem is, if you can’t already tell, about the comparison between a bee and a man. When I started dating A, he wore these bright colored shirts all the time. He was almost known for them. He had one on at a park one day early in our relationship.

Something you must know about this man is that he is not expressive in any way in regard to his emotions. This led to some early relationship turmoil, especially when it came to becoming “official” or saying things like, “I love you.”

Another thing to note about A is that he refers to his interest in woman like he is a digital clock instead of an analog one. He describes his attraction as either a 1 or a 0. There is no in-between for him. The problem is, there is also no way of knowing which one you are.

Anyway, on this day in question, as he was wearing his usual bright colored shirt, a bee landed on him, likely confusing him for a flower. I realized, in this moment, that this bee and A were basically the same being. This bee also lives a life of things being a 1 or 0. Either this bee can get pollen, or it can’t. You either are a flower, or you’re not. If you’re not, the bee has no interest. In this moment, I felt as if A had no interest in me based on his lack of any romantic expression. I felt that A and this bee, with their golden hair and bright outfits, waking up just to work and eat, while ignoring frivolity, were basically the same. The bee realized the shirt wasn’t a flower, and he flew off. A would soon realize that the thing between us wasn’t a 1, and we would have the same fate. I felt that the sting the bee could provide in the case of being upset by the useless, bright orange shirt was similar to the sting I would feel at the words A was destined to say about us.

And that, my friends, is how The Sting came to be.

Thanks for reading!