A Million Ants for Every One of Us

So the scientists say.
A million is a big number.
When a million people march
in political protest
we are impressed.

When certain species� numbers
drop below a million
conservationists get concerned.

When a hundred people die
it is a tragedy.
But we can spare a few thousand
pesky ants.

Ants care not what has lived
before them in their space.
They expand and take over
with no concern for the lives they infiltrate.

They have wars
between themselves and the exterminators.

We have superior technology but they have superior numbers.
We have the equivalent of a nuclear bomb that you can buy
for $5 at the hardware store. A million ants dead in one fell swoop.
But if I were to inhale the fumes,
(they are highly toxic according to the side of the can)
there would be a funeral and many people would be saddened.

But the millions of dead ant bodies rotting in the ground
don’t get a funeral. I can see a neighboring colony
holding a tribunal, deciding what to do about these
uninvited war-mongers. They would decide to spread
and take over every house they can get their hand on.

They have tiny ant-laboratories developing
special stinging warrior ants
that hurt like hell when they bite you.

They would hit us where it hurts americans the most,
in the kitchen. They would invade our snack foods
and our bread drawers and our toasters.

Instead I think I will just call up a local exterminator
and have him deal with it.