the odorous house ants, whom I admire
for their brilliant hive (nest) mind,
their capacity to work together
so astonishingly well, each individual
greeting every other ant person it meets
while trailing, the others going
in the opposite direction: scurry, stop,
sniff, or antenna pat, or mark and continue
on with the utmost haste and purpose.
Yet, I don’t care to share my house with
them. I’ve seen the extremes they’ll go to.
This time they discovered my prayer plant’s
water reservoir. The pest managers seemed
to discourage them so their residency
didn’t coincide with the wedding festivities
(don’t ask). Now they’re back and we’re
defending our nest. I really love and admire
insects, but coexistence in the home
is beyond my capabilities. I’m leaving
the house and studio to them eventually,
I know. We’re all just keeping on.
I love so much about this poem!
There are so many striking images and great lines, and it gets at a tension I feel all the time, lately as one of our indoor plants is infested by some sort of insect, and it’s dying bee season with a maybe bee allergic daughter, and yet I admire them all the time outdoors, not harming us, keeping so many things alive. There’s so many great lines here particularly “This time they discovered my prayer plant’s
water reservoir.” and “’m leaving
the house and studio to them eventually,
I know. We’re all just keeping on.”
Oh, Caitlin, what a reader you are! It’s a privilege to receive your comments. Thank you.