Resilience


When I was a child, I discovered in our yard
By accident, a colony of large red ants.
I sat down to play, unaware till flesh was marred
That a host of the minions had boldly invaded my pants.
Full wail, I ran, clothes crawling with unwanted guests,
To my mother, who with unaccountable smiles,
Stripped me down and hosed off the offending pests.

With hateful wrath I bombed the ants with stones.
I stomped their nest, their formic acid spilt.
I ground into dust what I thought must be their bones.
After each attack the ants rebuilt.

      It was their resilience that filled me with dismay
      And made me find a different place to play.



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