When I was growing up, there was this

hornet nest that showed up

in the rafters of a nearby building.

Someone had told me about the differences between hornets and wasps.

They’re less aggressive,

but have worse stings.

I wasn’t really listening. I was focused on the hornet’s head,

how it was round and bulbous,

like a baby’s.

At the time, I kept thinking

that you could fit a baby inside of a hornet’s nest;

that is, if the legs and head

were crunched up and held close to the body.

I remember laying down on the ground

and looking at the hornet nest

from a hole on the bottom.

It was too dark to see anything inside, but

I wondered what the hornets could possibly be growing in there.

I wondered if it grew

alongside the nest, if it had

bones

and skin

and a beating heart.