< the paper wasps >

[rayheinrich]

build their nest out from the white boards under   -  out from sounds ugly, I have to say, and I can't really work out what you mean. Attached to the white boards. I liked the poem, I liked wondering if the suggestion was to kill the wasps or the friends and neighbors.

Their nests are small, usually 1 to 2 inches in diameter (though
sometimes much larger) and are tucked up under the eves (to provide protection from the weather) in such a way as to not be easily seen. I.e. they're not ugly. And I don't think killing the neighbors is an option.

Though if a neighbor tried to harm one of the cats, I just might shoot him/her. This is not a decision to be considered lightly as my armament
(a modest revolver, a single-shot target rifle, and very little ammunition)
is quite inferior to theirs. Most of them have quite the arsenal which always includes several shotguns which are much the superior weapon at
typical suburban distances.

Killer bees can kill you, this is not an understatement

But these are wasps with a milder sting and not as many.
BUT the most important thing is they haven't stung anybody as yet.
So, morally, what is the correct course of action?

The "miracle/irritable" rhyme struck me as a little cute, but otherwise I really really enjoyed this poem. Your work reminds me of William Carlos Williams', which might be a lazy way of saying your poems have unique forms and narratives, as well as a sharp, understated approach to perspective. They reach complex ideas in deceptively straightforward ways. They're about nothing and everything. I particularly enjoyed the "as i" list in S2, which very elegantly conveys the passing of time. Thank you for the read

Yeah, you're correct, one of my flaws is cuteness. If I were
only a kitten...

Any positive comparison of my stuff to Williams' is immensely flattering
as I worship him as a god (a bit retro, but, there it is). You must be
a god well.

very well written and emotionally tight.  the psychological question ends the whole nicely, but from one who has been bitten and stung into 3 day of sick I'd say KILL THEM.

This would have a deep (if terribly subjective) effect on me as
well. While I have been swarmed and stung 30-40 times and still suffer a
bit of PTSD from the experience, I was in pain (immense) for less than 24
hours and was not, technically, sick.

I enjoyed your poem very much, and admire how a simple description of daily life in a particular place can also show a psychic atmosphere. Maybe your paper wasps are like my magpies, who attack strangers during nesting season, but leave the locals alone.

Ah, magpies! They're smarter than most of my neighbors (I hereby
apologize to all 'maggies'; as you're obviously much much smarter).

I do think there's some 'accommodation' at work here because we came and
went quite regularly when they were deciding on the location and when they
were building their nest. I think that if they'd built it while we were
away their reaction would be much different. I'd like to think they thought
of us as friends (though 'harmless' is probably a more apt description.)

-----------------

Short:
They haven't stung anybody as yet.
So, morally, what is the correct course of action?

Longer:
The poem's intent (from my not any more correct than any other's interpretation) is to bring up two questions.

1. How does (or how much of) our moral code applies to wasps (and by
inference other living things).

I.E. How the fuck should they be treated?)


2. What requirements have to be met in order to justify preemptive
'self-defense'?

I.E. When are you 'in fear of your life' enough to kill someone?

When should a nation use nuclear weapons to defend itself
or invade another nation to prevent it from attacking them?