In the year of the Ant,
men were crushed beneath
the rubber of golf shoes
and we became besotted
with the whirl of the
weedwhacker.
In the year of the Ant,
we carried food to the queen
using only our mouths
and were permitted to bite
once a day
to sate our hunger.
In the year of the Ant,
we made constant war
against the arachnids
so that we might have
enough silk with which
to wrap our dead.
In the year of the Ant,
we followed the scent trails
of our fathers and grandfathers,
even though
a storm had blown a tree
across the route.
In the year of the Ant,
we spun around
and around
in pursuit of
a long-ago
promise.
In the year of the Ant,
we were enormous--
we were many, so many,
infinite in the count and
flower of our
mandibles;
And yet, none of us---
not a single one---
thought to step on the Ant.
Feb 1
Feb 1, 2026 at 12:45 AM UTC
In the year of the Ant,
men were crushed beneath
the rubber of golf shoes
and we became besotted
with the whirl of the
weedwhacker.
In the year of the Ant,
we carried food to the queen
using only our mouths
and were permitted to bite
once a day
to sate our hunger.
In the year of the Ant,
we made constant war
against the arachnids
so that we might have
enough silk with which
to wrap our dead.
In the year of the Ant,
we followed the scent trails
of our fathers and grandfathers,
even though
a storm had blown a tree
across the route.
In the year of the Ant,
we spun around
and around
in pursuit of
a long-ago
promise.
In the year of the Ant,
we were enormous--
we were many, so many,
infinite in the count and
flower of our
mandibles;
And yet, none of us---
not a single one---
thought to step on the Ant.