Whenever I hear a buzzing
I freeze
my body in fight or flight mode
for the bee, the wasp,
maybe even the fly
or whatever could hurt me really
people will say
"Calm down, it's just a bee,
it can't hurt you"
But the world can be a scary place
I know
I have seen it
I have come back from the dark
too many times to ignore it
fought off monsters too many times
to believe they do not exist
so the familiar humming, low drone
of a flying insect
is a sound many can ignore
and just bat away
but it reminds me of the sting of
many experiences that came before it
so I freeze
and stand on guard
waiting for whatever can hurt me
to pass
never truly relaxing
knowing that things that sting
can come around
all too often.