Wonderful Conversation with the Ants

Ants, Oh, Tiny ants Procession of soul’s droplets

Ten Million years ago Your species came into existence on this earth

You are the tiniest wonder of the world

Would you lend me your ears As I wish to speak to you

“To chit chat and waste our time

We are not humans

Whatever you wish to speak

crawl and come along with me”

*****

You are Lilliput world

of one centimeter

Have you ever felt belittled

That you are a feeble creature

“Oh stupid humans

pharaoh ant are tiniest

in our species

We can lift fifty times

More of our own body weight

but are you capable”?

*****

What’s your hobby??

“Life itself is a hobby

Searching is our sport

And crawling is our rest

In our short span of life

Destined to end within six or ten weeks

Where is the time to rest

And where is the time to sleep”?

*****

Then why to struggle

For this meager life?

Like humans, we do not have

one belly but two

One is to digest and the other to save

The saving part is meant for

our fellow ants to feed on

And this struggle is for the sake of these two

*****

Can you define

The pride of your species

“Our colony civilization is older than

The Indus Valley Civilization

A harem for the fertile queen

A quarters for sterile servant ants

A graceful graveyard

To bury the dead ones

A large storage space

To save the food at rainy times

This is the beauty of our kingdom

You are the lengthy proofs

Of our petite life, indeed”

*****

Have you ever wondered at yourself

And on what occasion?

“Frailty is our life

Even if struck with delicate peacock feathers

But we are mighty enough to

Kill an elephant”

*****

What do you hate and what do you love?

“Hate - the sprinkled seas, upon us

When the floors are cleaned

Love - the benevolent women

Who decorate the earth with rice flour”

*****

What will you do

If the grains you saved sprout?

“As we carry the grains

The hysterectomy is done

When the tip is broken

They sprout not, oh human”

*****

Your unforgettable incident?

“Death of our 4000 ancestors

crushed at the time of your non-violent war”

*****

Why do you kiss the ants

crawling towards you?

“Its an attempt to sniff and identify

Whether they are from our clan

If they are one of us, we give them way

If not we block and fight”

*****

Oh, Little idols

Which is your great pride?

“If the Army Ants of Amazon

Find a dead elephant on the way

They move ahead only after feeding on it, completely

The bellies of those ants

Are the burial grounds of elephants”

*****

Is Non-violence

Your way of life?

“No, we do have way-laid robbery

And war among us

To announce the danger

We make noise and gestures”

*****

Sounds of Ants…

Oh we never heard of…

“If humans are deaf

Its not the fault of ants”

*****

Thank you dear ants, Thank you

“We ought to thank you”

*****

But why do you have to thank me?

“The world so long was praising

And pennwd Puranas about

Unseen Kamadenu, the Mythological cow

And Adishesha, the Mythological snake

Which might not have even existed

Nevertheless, fondly you thought of us,

At least today – for that sake”!