Kolbe Riney

honeyeater
by Kolbe Riney

 I and all
my sisters
come before
long since worked
to make
our combs
by chewing
mouths
in what is sweet,

or else became
these bears
who dip to honey
with claws
spread,
teeth bared,
stung
and saying,
from the eaters,
I will eat.

What
I did not always
know
is I am ever
two-hearted,
devourer
and what the devouring
becomes,
whole mouth
a trembling brood

until
I loved the beekeeper,
he who quiets
the hive
with a soft
viscose throat
of smoke.

---

Kolbe Riney is a queer poet based out of Tucson, Arizona. She graduated in May 2021 with a BS in Nursing from Northern Arizona University. Her work is featured or forthcoming in the Eunoia Review, Passages North, the West Trade Review, and others. Learn more: https://kolberiney.wixsite.com/website