we walk

we walk,
absent-minded,
in the midst
of a foreign concourse;

deep in the bowels
of hive
and home;

of course,

soldiers are sent
to greet us;
spurious welcomes
treat us;

honored
guests;

the rest,

as you might have guessed
is as fiendish
as a hornet
gets

when cornered—

held
by handlers
who are ill
prepared.