Bee Flies

Of bee flies, little is known
which suits them well.
They begin life by imposing on others—
locust, velvet ant, caterpillar.
Hairy impersonators, they wear
a long proboscis, have perfected
a nimble, darting flight,
frequent flowers.
If their bluff is called
they have no sting,
preferring to go unarmed.
The non-conformists among them
disguise themselves as wasps
(in lower case, of course).
Subtly persuasive they may be,
but what is finesse
against the thugs of this world?
Mere common criminals, robber flies
catch them on the wing
to be bound with spiny legs,
punctured, devoured …
Better to end by evoking
their glorious moments—
how they confused the ancients
by milling like bees from carcases;
from the honeycomb, death.