They dwell somewhere underneath,
hidden, as they patiently tread, in measured
crawls...or flights, when starting to work.

i've seen them before in their other journeys,
these often despised creators of hardened,
paths...straight, sometimes crooked lines
inconspicuously appearing on ashen,
concrete and creviced walls,
especially on wooden furniture
and on live heartwood trees.

they've been working continuously
for months now....these reddish lines, rising
from the huge base of the Narra tree, are
tendril-like tunnels...spreading wider
for all their purposes.

yet...these silent destroyers,
could not even penetrate the tree,
all they could do was move upwards,
and patch the trunk
with their muddy creations

to make things worse,
ants from a nearby towering  tree,
crossed over their tunnels
and ate them alive.

the impenetrable Narra tree, stands
unaffected by its "invaders"...swelling
even more with golden yellow flowers
falling on our heads,
falling on the ground.


Sally

Copyright April 29, 2017
Rosalia Rosario A. Bay