[APPLAUSE]
My mother died on the 24th of June
and my sister died on the 10th of August.
So it's been a hard year.
And I don't mention it for that, but I mentioned for this.
So I'm going to read a poem if you don't mind.
I live out in the country, and some yellow jackets moved in.
And yellow jackets are not good neighbors.
And no, I did a human thing, which was really stupid.
You swat at them.
And my first thought was, I should go
get some [? say ?] in the Raid.
And then I thought, I've had enough death.
I just was tired of death.
There's just no, I don't have to find a way to live with it.
So the yellow jacket stayed.
And of course, I guess, they told each other,
Nikki is not going to kill us.
So next thing you know, they have actually moved in.
I don't know if you ever tried to live with yellow--
I don't know if you have yellow jackets, but they're there.
It's just the buzz or whatever.
But because I was so sad, I did, I think, the only logical thing
to do, I had a party because, well, you're so sad anyway,
you may as well have a party and try to find a way through it.
And of course, not of course, but I
had it catered because you can't enjoy the party
if you're the one doing all the work.
And so I'm like--
And so about 4 o'clock in the evening,
the caterers start to come and they're
going to set up on my deck, right?
And so all of a sudden it's like I would--
I've been living in the house for 20 years,
but I don't know what's going on.
So they're coming back to me and they say,
it's a bunch of yellow jackets out there, you know.
Don't you have anything to spray them with?
I said, excuse me, but the yellow jackets live here
and you're hired help.
Now, you need to make that adjustment.
Because at about 6 o'clock, they're
settled in for the night.
And if you don't bump their house, they were all right.
And I did learn something because human beings
no matter whether it's yellow jackets or gay people
or Black people or white people, we
have to do a little better with getting along
with things that scare us.
You just can't run around killing something
just because you're scared.
What kind of sense does that make?
[APPLAUSE]
I realized I fell in love with them
and I wrote a poem for them that I wanted to share.
It's called "The Yellow Jacket."
We pause in our day before completion of evening chores,
I to cook dinner and you--
I'm not sure what you do.
I empty the bird baths, always worrying
a virus or germ or unpleasant bacteria
may lurk to do fatal harm to those who only
bring their voices and joy and thanksgiving
for the fresh water.
And you buzz and, quite frankly, annoy me
as I go about this duty, fulfilling a contract that
was never signed and not at all enforceable but nonetheless
a cheerful duty to our feathered friends.
Recognizing each tree gone, each bush
removed for a deck or patio has left a place less welcoming.
I hope the birds accept this clean water
as a suitable replacement.
I swat at you.
Word you will sting, causing my throat to swell
or blocking my air or some other unknown danger humans attribute
when we hear buzzes.
You wait, buzz by and wait again until the water
is filled where you can sit majestically
on the edge and drink.
We are not friends, the yellow jacket and I.
You will not be tamed nor trained.
Your sound will offer no comfort nor your numbers
any sense of safety.
Yet, in this evening watching you drink,
I am in awe of your self-possessed beauty.
[APPLAUSE]