The following version of this poem was used to create this guide: Doshi, Tishani. “Wasps at the Faucet.” Issue 42 of The Adroit Journal (2022).

Note that all parenthetical citations refer to the line number from which the quotation is taken.

"Wasps at the Faucet" is an image-driven free verse poem by Tishani Doshi that contemplates the urgency of survival. As a whole, Doshi's poems often examine the beauty and danger of nature, and "Wasps at the Faucet" is no exception. The speaker considers both their own perspective and that of the wasps. Both species wish to access water via the speaker's sink. They risk pain or death to obtain it, which prompts the speaker to consider what it means to make choices in a precarious world. This poem highlights the interconnection between humans and the natural world. Rather than be a passive backdrop, the environment challenges the speaker to confront what really matters to their own survival. In addition, the speaker's consideration of the wasps' perspective intends to broaden the reader's capacity to think, feel, and live in relation to other species.