House of Ants

Living walls composed of tiny living building blocks Pinchers, claws, legs, holding on, gripping, intertwined Compelled to embrace each other in this crawly house Scratching on hardened shells, always adjusting, tightening Ever responding to the constant hum deep within Awaiting the call to aid the foraging column The mighty stomach growls and workers spill out in raids Blinded by design, they have no choice but to follow the trail laid down before them, to stray is to be exposed They ravage the frontier, surpassing all by shear numbers Dragging back strange trophies for the greater good of all Though Mother Nature's own, they leave her environment sterile And the sovereign soldiers lean to the sky, expectant Guarding the queen's highway of dutiful progress So monstrous their jaws that the workers must feed them But wary are the workers for they know their guardians Blind unbiased vises that will seize friend or foe Once triggered, they slam shut never to release their prey And deep within toils the creative bureaucrat Or so think the loyal workers who greet their new brothers She pestles their trophies into ever more mouths to feed Her eyes on the future, but blind to the present Commanding the make-up of her workers, but not their minds She perpetuates a brood of millions with the love of none Inspiration: Discovery Channel TV Special – “Killer Ants” The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers song “Essayons” Proverbs 6:6-8 (KJV) “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.”