Gentle Bee, Drink My Nectar
I don’t think anyone has ever truly listened to me
A lot of times, I feel like I’m shrouded by others
You know when a bee flies to you
Buzzing nonsense in your ear?
And then you scream and swat it away?
But the bee was just trying to find someone to listen
And the flower they thought you were, seemed like it would
But you betrayed it
Scared of a tiny stinger
Why would the bee sting you when that leads to its death?
So when a bee comes to me to share their thoughts,
I listen
I know it won’t sting me
And I know how it feels to be swatted away
The bee thinks I’m a flower, so the least I can do
Is provide it with the sweet nectar of listening
Biographical Note: Emma Knaack is a sophomore professional writing and creative writing major minoring in business administration with an honors and teaching English language learners concentration at the University of Indianapolis. She is Etchings magazine’s submissions editor for issue 34.2, editorial assistant for Indy Her Campus, and a member of Phi Alpha Epsilon. In her free time, she enjoys thrifting, reading manga, watching anime, and listening to Korean and Japanese music.