Oh, poor drone! Do you think
That life has dealt you a nasty blow
While you do what nature demands,
And while about your business you go?

The female bees--the worker bees--
Gather nectar and pollen. Not you.
You make no honey and have no stinger.
There's not a lot for you to do.

The workers feed you and keep you around
To help them heat or cool the hive.
But, ultimately, they have an excellent
Reason for keeping you alive:

You truly play a major role,
For you are there to mate with the queen.
But after you mate, you die, poor fellow.
Why must Nature be so mean?

The queen will mate with more than one,
But MOST drones never have the chance.
That fact that you must die after mating:
Is that something that's known in advance?

As winter approaches and food grows scarce,
The workers will say, “Farewell, drone!"
They will kick you out of the hive,
And you will perish on your own.

Ah, we humans also have
Our reasons for being, but by and by,
No matter what our role is on Earth,
Eventually, we ALL have to die.

-by Bob B (9-2-24)