THE BEE LADY

I saw the bee lady yesterday. I saw her as I stepped out along the way that leads toward your house. She was standing under the trees. You know the ones, with the bark peeling and the brown leaves clinging to their brittle twigs. That's where I saw her. She stood in their midst like it was she who was killing them. Bees swarmed about her, covering half of her face, going in and out of her mouth, nose and ears. She had no eyes, only holes, and honey dripped from the empty sockets like tears.