Persist

It’s cruel how you taunt us with so much freedom, laughing as we constantly soar towards it, only to find our paths blocked by a cold, glass barrier. There may be a small crack in this window for us to crawl through, but what we need is for all doors to be wide open. 

It only takes one of us, a born leader, to plant the first seed and  we all follow. We see your fear as we emerge from the woodwork in waves and droves with often misunderstood intentions, but it’s been happening since the start of time – it shouldn’t be such a sting to see us claiming the sweet nectar you once believed was only yours.

You underestimate our potential and see us as nothing but parasites chewing on the scraps you left behind. We scout out the half-eaten apple you carelessly toss away, and in this we find swarms of opportunity. It’s no picnic but all we really want is our fair share and to be understood as a necessary part in society. For this reason we persist.

Just the sight or sound of us screams a warning. One individual is considered a mere nuisance, but a whole colony of us with a united mission paralyses your society. Our piercing jabs make you flinch in agony as you question your own venomous actions towards us. We have always been here and we know our true purpose; your swats and swipes are futile against us and will only result in your own downfall.

People react differently towards what they perceive as a threat: some choose violence; some turn a blind eye; some educate themselves and begin to understand. Many of us have been beaten and killed at your hands but this is no crime, merely a day-to-day occurrence. It happens. Yet we are unable to shrug it off. We come together and rebuild through these cycles of destruction. You may wait for us to grow tired and disappear but there will always be a new leader, a new Queen, to carry on the cause and secure our future, for we wasps are resilient and strong and know that we belong.