Ants and the Lessons They Teach
In a cluttered heap
Under an empty tin
Settled a colony of black ants
Neither annoyed by raging heat
Nor drenched in pouring rain
With intrusion from nowhere,
They thrived on as a single swell.
The happy residents of this peaceful abode
Never deterred by distractions any
Survival, being their sole intent
Work in unison to meet their needs.
Some, like warriors, guard their nest
While others go foraging food
Each having his assigned role
And none fattening on another's sweat
A gracious queen here rules the nest,
Neither despotic nor imperious
Staying inside, patiently laying eggs
Knowing, they thrive on increased number.
Within the colony, they look a wobbling mass
Often as black paint, carelessly daubed
Almost glued to a fixed space
They hardly move or run around.
If on a sudden, an invasion arises
In an instant, they burst into thousands
And run helter- skelter
Hunting for a new settlement
As the initial commotion subsides
They fall into an unbroken line
Each carrying in its tiny mouth
Their budding progeny in milky white
Those specks of white in larva form
And march headlong for pastures, new.
Swift is their evacuation
Majestic is their migration
Oh, what fun! Watching this exodus of black army
March solemnly to their destination!
Though there exists an abysmal gap
Between the mighty men and these tiny ants
What valuable lessons they oft teach
That put we brags to utter shame
Among the umpteen lessons, they glibly teach
If we could just emulate the cardinal ones;
Their spirit of harmony and collective work
No doubt, mankind would be a happier lot!
poem by Valsa George
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Related quotes
Inconspicuous Queen
A slab of cracked concrete pavement
Permanently fixed in a row
Of similar, less damaged slabs
Exists a miniaturized realm.
Within the fracture grows a few,
Tiny clumps of unnoticed grass
And a single dandelion.
Deep within the dark cavity
A colony of zealous ants
Ruled by a single fertile queen
Work in well defined labor crews.
A team of seven working high
Atop the yellow nectar globe
Begin their long laden descent.
poem by Albert Ahearn
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Sonnet: Ants Too Are Great
The Ants too serve the Lord in greater ways;
If not for them, who will devour the dead
Of flora, fauna? Nobody them pays;
But that is how they work and get well fed.
They work much more than any human soul;
Their little brains can think a lot of things;
Never-ending, they labor for a goal;
Suff’ring adverse conditions, Nature brings.
What unity exists within the clan!
They worked in unison in disaster;
They are so industrious, much more than man;
For body size, they run even faster.
Man has to learn many lessons from the ants;
They live much satisfied with lesser wants.
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The Eggs Of The Blue Bird On The Nest
the blue bird
takes care of its nest
all the white eggs
warm beneath its feathers
all those nights
and even cold days
and then when the eggs hatch
the fledgelings
prematurely spread their wings
fall off from the branch
where the nest hangs
on the following morning
you see the ants feasting on their flesh
ah! the blue bird sings again
readies itself for the rain
it escapes away from its sorrows
and flies away...far, far away
far, far away....
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
PARTY AT THE LEPER COLONY
Finger food and an ice cold keg
It won't cost you an arm and a leg
Dance all night to a rotten band
Come on, people, let's give 'em a hand
Saturday night it's the place to be
Everybody cut footloose with me
At the party at the leper colony
Oh, there's a party at the leper colony
Met a little lady so pretty and young
She was quite a talker till the cat got her tongue
She oozed up beside me, I turned on my charm
Well, pretty soon she was completely disarmed
I said, "Girl, now don't fall to pieces on me"
But she cried her eyes out . literally
At the party at the leper colony
Oh, there's a party at the leper colony
Hey! Hey!
Hey now, buddy, don't you give me no lip
Sorry I was using your head for a dip
There's a guy in the hot tub, I don't know who
Wait a minute, it looks like Stu
Well, hold the phone now, what do I see?
Another pretty mama got her eye on me
At the party at the leper colony
Oh, there's a party at the leper colony
There's a party at the leper colony
(Party at the leper colony)
There's a party at the leper colony
(Party at the leper colony)
Oh, there's a party at the leper colony, yeah, party at the leper colony
Well, there's a party at the lepr colony
(Party at the leper colony)
Hey!
song performed by by Weird Al Yankovic
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
When many work together for a goal, Great things may be accomplished. It is said a lion cub was killed By a single colony of ants.
quote by Saskya Pandita
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
You March On
You, unknown traveller of untreaded path
march on, march on, march on
will reach your destination
one day
though far off
march on, march on, march on.
Look back, never, even by mistake
forget, never, the hardships you bore
guide, will be your past deeds of life,
full of pangs on the bed of stake
What holds destiny?
Not to worry?
............Just march on, march on, march on.
Adversities make you a fast learner
Desires are snakes, so be a shirker
search the deep sea to find a pearl
get to the shore, while facing the whirl
Think never to be feeble & meek
deliver everyone from the misdeeds
while truth you seek
clear all hurdles regaining your strength
you will reach the destination
march on...march on....march on.
Carve out your name on the horizon
as your stars are on the ascendant
work towards the goal night and day
be illuminated in such a way
sluggish should appear the milky way
You, unknown traveller of untreaded path
march on, march on, march on
will reach your destination
one day
though far off
march on, march on, march on.
poem by Tribhawan Kaul
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Valentine's Day
Oh! I wish I were a tiny browny bird from out the south,
Settled among the alder-holts, and twittering by the stream;
I would put my tiny tail down, and put up my tiny mouth,
And sing my tiny life away in one melodious dream.
I would sing about the blossoms, and the sunshine and the sky,
And the tiny wife I mean to have in such a cosy nest;
And if some one came and shot me dead, why then I could but die,
With my tiny life and tiny song just ended at their best.
poem by Charles Kingsley
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
I am a man of black and white
I am a man of black and white,
my name is written on the gates of the sky.
i am a man of black and white
my origin is united, yet two apart.
I speak the language of the whites,
but lost in the language of the blacks.
i am a man of black and white,
my resemblance is same with the blacks.
I am a man of black and white,
i was brought up in the land of the whites.
i am a man of black and white,
my home is in the south-east, in the abode of my black dad.
I am a man of black and white,
i love the aspirations of life.
i am a man of black and white,
although two apart, we are united as one.
poem by Randy Micheal
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
You need to learn a lot from us, the tiny creatures, cockroaches
We were a colony
I had no head count and
Cannot tell you how many were there
We must be in thousands
We were too crowded was the fact
No one can walk, all of us practically crawling
Our living conditions compare no where
Near the ways you live
Not that we were in discomfort
That is the way we live
This colony got established over a period
We were sure of getting food
Any time any quantity
We were thriving on whatever left over by you people
Our colony grew steadily
Along the road to its full length
It was not known to you people
That there existed colony of ours
Under your own nose
One of your lads
Stumbled in our colony
When he was cleaning the unauthorized canteen
Run on the footpath
Whose kitchen rejects were our feed
He was frightened at the sight of our crowd
And yelled
A war like situation came up
And our colony was invaded
By an army of people
With broomsticks, long flat wooden panels, etc.
In addition, they fumigated our colony
Making us rush out in the open
Young ones managing to run with their guiding mothers
Elder ones even flying
We were not sure as to where
We would be shifting
We crawled here and there
Crossing the road
Minding not the heavy traffic
Some of us got crushed too
We were fleeing for life
We got spread so much
The entire passers by had a feel of our unique scent
Some of them even holding their breathe
And some using out their handkerchief as respiratory protection
There was no need for this invasion
We were in no competing with any of your things
We were making a living of your left over
We were not seen in your midst
It is alright, if you want us to vacate
But, it hurts if you take measures to eliminate us
We were created by the same nature
That created you
We assure you
Despite your dislike and distaste for us
We will survive as we are determined
You should appreciate the strength
And steadfastness with which we survive
Even the toughest of conditions
Will not eliminate this gene
You need to learn a lot from us
The tiny creatures, cockroaches
poem by Bashyam Narayanan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Rational Ants
From the volumes of total strength
A lesson transmitted a whole death;
One mighty foot descended at the attacker,
These ants wore a tiny prison of poison
Wrecking a fortunate end and destiny.
What do these fiends construct?
The ants antagonize and answer
A few rude joys, offering a majesty
Of wealth and learning to the escapees.
This train has journeyed from the lessons
Where teaching asked a question from the heart
And the head was heavy with thoughts of your majesty.
I see volumes of work in the tall buildings,
Bolstering a new set of worshiping places
That descend on the heaving masses
Of this whole rational thinking.
poem by Naveed Akram
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Of Ants and Life
…guess me correct
of ants and life they connect
causing a traffic jam on their trails I cannot forget
of ants as they swam from tree barks to get
a source of existence cannot let
the ants in drought to starve
for food is what they have once collected
and stored;
that which none has never rejected
nor objected
of ants and life
the futuristic species
that know when to pick up the pieces
of anything,
and the guard ants making sure nothing misses
from whence it were piled and stored
of ants and life ‘am never bored
as I observed how they nod
in respect and honor on board
as they pass each other a hustle they accord
of ants and life as they seek to conform
to a life in all its form
if ants can manage their own
why can’t we not of our own?
poem by Onalethuso Petruss Ntema
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Black men, White men
should i be led to believe
that the white men's heart
is soft as cotton? and when
touched, is torched, bursts into flame
to settle comfortably in black,
a trail of humble lesson for the soul
should i be led to believe
that a black man's heart is
full of courage? charging like a bull
through America black or white
settling for nothing in between?
should i be led to believe that
black and white work the
theory of ying and yang
ever balancing to rev up the world?
rice would even grow in bush
black hair turns eventually into
a crown of white wisdom
and blackboards light up
knowledge in white chalk
white shines at its best in black
and where else but a piece of white
where black could make its clearest stamp
of its stand - left or right, right or wrong
poem by John Tiong Chunghoo
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Two Different People
Two different people
Black people, white people
Black world, White world
A black person thinks different from the white people
White people thinks highly of himself
White people works very hard for his living
Black's are lazy
They don't want to work, they just want the money
You have to work for the money, they just don't get it
White people knows that there are no free ride in life
Black's want a free ride, there are no free ride in life
Nothing is free in life except for the air that you breathe
The white people have to be careful of what they say to the black People
Whatever you say to the black people if they don't like it they will say it Is discrimination
We can't understand them
They have a mind of their own
The white people are loving and caring
What about the black people?
Not a hope in hell
I don't want any part of the black world
The black world is not safe for me
So I rather stay in my white world where I feel safe
We can't trust them
The reason why there is violence in this world is because the black People cause it
Now they don't like it because they have to live with it
We want a safe world for our people
The black people don't care about it because the only thing they know And seen is violence
There is too much violence on TV
They like it
They like the feeling of danger
We white don't like the feeling of danger
The blacks hate the white people and the white people don't like them Either
The white people knows when to shut up
The black people never knows when to shut up
There is why there are always problem with them
They make life miserable for us
The white people will always be a good friend
The black people can never be your friend
They will take everything they can get from you for free
poem by Aldo Kraas
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Black and White
My world is black and white,
The colors I see is black and white,
Hold me tight,
Don’t let me go,
See the tears I have cried,
Listen to my cry,
Look into my eyes,
My world is black and white,
Cut my wrist,
Black my eyes,
Blacken these thoughts I think of,
Black and white is all I can see,
The tears is all I can feel,
Feel me fading away,
Watching myself falling apart,
Look deep into my eyes,
Can you see me,
Can you feel the pain I feel,
I don’t understand why I am feeling this sad,
All the moments that once we shared has faded away like others have,
I never did tried to see the beyond the black and white clouds,
I need to face what I have become,
I need to find my way back,
The black and white is all I can see and feel,
My world has been black and white.
poem by Jennifer Rondeau
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Deistic maternal interplay
Hell, heaven, black, white, grey, night, day,
God, Devil, mom, pop: mind's role-play
each mirrors each, teach lives begin
again, thought karmic caught, naught's win.
Deistic maternal interplay?
Summum mum pops! Figment rei[g]ns in sin.
(24 March 2012)
poem by Jonathan Robin
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Sonnet: From Soldier-ants To God
Who gave the soldier-ants their formic-sting?
So small a brain yet, intellect so vast;
To run in columns, organise and bring,
Their prey piece-meal and larvae very fast.
To choose their sites of nest-building on trees;
To glue the leaves with spider-like resin;
To sentinel their nest in war and peace;
To labor ceaselessly and wars to win.
What wondrous creatures, ants tho’ small can be?
Their industry, man ought to emulate;
In sun and rain and wind, they slog truly;
They stood the test of centuries till date.
How much more splendid Being, God must be?
The universe’s Ruler, Almighty!
8-26-2002
poem by John Celes
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The Black Snakes Nest
Where does the black snake rest?
In shady cover reveals her nest.
Near the freshly planted field,
Where mice a meal can yield.
Slithering through stalks of corn,
Swallowing whole tiny creatures born.
Then returning to her place of rest,
Hiding there until a morsel to digest.
Her skin to shed in new apparel,
When a brood of white eggs appear.
She squints her eyes in satisfaction,
A fox about could cause her to fear.
The little ones would soon hatch,
They eat their way out of the shell.
The ones left the fox did not snatch.
The first sense is revealed of smell.
They look for their first meal,
Tiny vibrations they can feel.
At first eating a small grub neath the weed,
Eventually a small mouse its taught to feed.
A new cycle begins natures test,
The blake snake find a shady nest.
poem by Saint Eule
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Black and White and Red
Black and White
And Red I see
Demons they do
Torture me
Black and White
And Red all day
The voices are real
Or so they say
Black and White
And Red abound
I'm lost I call
I'm never found
Black and White
And Red flow out
I scream but you
Don't hear me shout
Black and White
And Red so bright
Exit blood and
Enter light
Black and White
And Red of death
Now I breathe
My final breath
poem by Anonymous Ghurl
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
That Is All I Can Do
Father...
I am doing the best I can,
To keep my eye fixed upon You.
Doing the best I can,
Father.
To keep You focused,
Glued in my view.
And,
Yes...
I know what it means to stray.
You have been with me everyday.
So you have seen that happen!
And,
Yes...
I know the circumstances,
Of my actions.
When I have not obeyed.
And to awaken afraid to suffer,
Through those consequences.
With a feeling of enemies approaching.
As I would sneak to take a peek...
From behind closed curtains.
To discover those fears,
Making a 'home' inside me.
Father God...
I am doing the best I can.
I choose to prove I can do much better.
By preparing to combat,
Those storms that confront me.
Those that come.
Giving me reason to run!
But You will not allow it.
You wish me to sit...
Trembling.
As I experience every bit of thunder,
That roars.
I cringe when passing by those lessons you teach.
Everyday when I walk across many diverse streets.
Trying to understand,
I do.
Why there is unhappiness all around.
And why those who claim to have faith...
Stumble disrespectfully on solid ground!
You teach...
That I do not want that for me.
You teach with such vivid depictions.
Father...
I am doing the best I can,
To keep my eye fixed upon You.
Yes,
It is true.
I try doing the best I can,
Father.
To keep You focused,
Glued in my view.
And that is all I can do,
My Father.
Until You...
My Guiding Light,
Disapprove of it!
With a wish not to ever,
Get You upset.
With false steps I take.
Father God...
I am doing the best I can.
And I choose to prove I can do much better.
Quickly.
Before repeating...
Any of Your lessons.
And that is all I can do,
My Father.
Until You...
My Guiding Light,
Disapprove!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Right between my underpants
Just before opening the draw
big green eyes with black pupils
peep at me.
Right between my underpants
Felix has made his nest
and yawns with an open mouth
so that his white teeth shows.
When I get a pair of underpants out
the black and white cat
watches me amused,
as if now
he knows some of my secrets.
poem by Gert Strydom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!