Elegy as Conditionality: Hornets Building

when a hornet nest swells in the pear tree
with a pear at the hive’s green center
if the hornets swaddle the pear in grey paper over paper
until it cannot see        and cannot hear for the humming
if the pear begins to rot        before it can say
when the hive grows heavy with quiver and grit
and the tree begins to fall    patiently    like a house going to ruin
if the pear is the last door to the house
if I fall inside the house    as it sighs and kneels
if I sigh        if you cannot hear
when the house is ruined    and you cannot say
if the hive unravels    and the pear breaches the grey paper
if no one speaks of the breach
if the hive was made by hundreds of mouths
when the hornets knew the pear would rot in the hive
but could not see to leave
if I knew the house would fall    but would not hear
if you pull the pear from its limb       if I go dark
when it is so dark I can only see    how it could have been
if you hum as you leave        when I fall
if I was made by your mouth



Reprinted from Firewatch (Fonograf Editions, 2021). All rights reserved. Reprinted with the permission of the publisher.