The Honey is
Almost Forever

Katrina Agbayani

every violence is its own species
and we descend like rain 
or condolences or basement. 
an invasive species is also just 
trying to live where they must. 
the flies fly and the bees remake the world
into ultraviolet 
and my grandma smuggles seeds across
three different borders, just trying
to give my mother a familiar shade of green. 
inheritance, like investment 
properties or knees,
will depreciate faster before slower. 
the honey, though, is almost forever. 
someone might remember us but
hopefully not.
if i do it right, extinction isn’t 
such a scary word. 
i hope it’s fast and green. 
i hope the maggots will say,
i’ve tasted this before 
and get good and strong
and whatever i was will be 
wing
and ascension
finally again.