fighting for survival
the small ant on the
hot pavement

each tiny leg slightly
shorter every time he
picks it back up

he’s going home to
a house where he has
no value and the sun
seems more welcoming
than his million siblings
each competing to please
their mother better

here the fateful symmetry

fighting for survival
the man walking on
hot pavement gives
up and lets himself
cook as a merciful
release