These days, officious yellowjackets
throng to our every task –
hanging laundry, chopping wood,
installing siding

And they seem to want to know  –
Where’s the cutlet that I ordered?
Who’s in charge here? And why
was I not told about these plans before?

Could be the season,
or my own myopia,
not speaking yellowjacket, not hearing
the urgent message they would relay

Or maybe, like New Yorkers,
and other eager noisy social beings,
they have a rhythm
that works just fine for them,
and who am I to question what they do?

©Wendy Mulhern
August 30, 2023