Lord of the Ants
Observe the ant; many have, and extolled
The discipline, the diligence, almost dogmatic
Decorum that the ant observes.
Stories abound, for children, to learn from the ant
The industrious, purposeful, resourceful insect
Creeping up; nay, marching up and down the walls
The floor, the nooks, the corners and why, even
The maze beneath the keys of this keyboard,
Scavenging on the crumbs of cake I consumed.
Averse to taking life, of any form -
(I apologize profuse, to the cockroaches I squash)
(In the toilet, I converse with the resident spider)
(Geckoes, I admonish for soiling my sofa)
(The mice that casually run up the shelf, nod at me in passing) -
In the case of ants, I will admit
I have a sneaking suspicion that I am scared;
Am awed, sometimes hate and envy them
The ants that march relentless, I imagine,
Even expressionless like the Nazis
Excited, aroused only when
I torch them with flaming old newspapers rolled
When I scatter turmeric, powdered
When I spray kerosene, like we spray Endosulfan
Over the poor compatriots of the North
Those dumb idiots, who like these ants
Which have now slowed down to a crawl,
And some writhe belly up, some struggle and stop
Some ants stumble and fall on legs crooked and then –
As I converge with my lens on the wriggling mass
It seems they are looking up at me –
And would you blame me, if I am reminded
Of the dozens dead in Kasaragod and dying?
Tears well up in my eyes -
As I cut these precious onions.
***********************
[Balachandran V, Trivandrum 13.01.2011
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