Hornet's Nest

November 18, 2013 Photo of the day:

"Hornet's Nest"

Now that the leaves have fallen 

the trees are revealing their hidden secrets: 

abandoned nests perch on bare branches 

which once nourished and sheltered 

families of birds and swarms of wasps. 

This nest has intrigued & frightened me for days. 

Logically, I know that the angry dwellers 

of these elaborate cells are no longer in residence. 

Wasps colonies only last a year, dying in the fall. 

Only the queen survives the winter 

by lying dormant until spring's warmth wakes her. 

Yet, I inched cautiously toward the tree, 

trusting that the yellow orbs surrounding it

 are only reminiscent of the swarming insects 

that once guarded this fragile home, 

now battered by the weekend's storm.