Last Flight Of The Honeybee

Being a honey bee is hard and relentless. I fly far, seeking new horizons to conquer, seeking sweet nectar for my queen,

I traverse all the beautiful, colored, and fragrant flowers every day, sucking their sweet golden nectar, I reserve the best for my queen,

I avoid prickly cactus flowers, I've heard stories of carnivorous flowers munching on bees like me, small insects and birds,

Every day, my travels start with a sip of honey before I do some chores in the hive,

I sneak into the secret, and forbidden chambers pretending to feed the queen bee, no matter how risky,

I eat the finest honey reserved for Her Majesty,

I hate the drones that feed off our labor, for they spend countless hours, courting our queen, whispering sweet nothing, always pampering her to lay more eggs,

Sometimes, I feel the urge to sting, and decimate them,

I spend my precious time in the warm sun, dancing lazily in the evening breeze until my short days are done.

This morning, while humming around a field of beans and peas in bloom, the humans sprayed the crops with foul-smelling chemicals, I watch horrified as my bee friends tumble, and die. Their distressing screams go unnoticed, an invisible hand blows me further down the field.

I return to the hive, with a broken wing, my agonizing cries are heard by the bees which have just hatched a few hours before. They feel my fear and pain, and they know that in a few hours, I would be dead. They give me my last taste of nectar and toss me from the hive.

I am now replaceable; long life to the queen was all I could sing, and then I fly into a dark abyss of no-return, my life's reminiscences flash before my eyes,

For generations, humankind has enjoyed our honey, we have healed her illnesses,

We have fed her in times of drought, healed her gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and pollinated her gardens!

These ingrate creatures trample upon our contributions and poison us. I curse the human race!