VOICE ON AN ANT·HILL
Almost believing the mysteries of two millennia,
I had come to doubt the existence of such
Anomalies as this; for, viewing the broad
Expanse of perfectly measured blades of grass,
ror example, or the roads so evenly paved, or houses
Steady against the winds, each with its purpose,
Each fulfilling a destiny as arranged by man,
And man in tum by some other, greateI: '
Forces, the greater mysteries, I reacted to 'it
At first
'as
one might react to the breaking of a glass,
Quite simply, as an accident.
Staring at the little pile of earth, I thought
Of the intricate system of tunnels burrowed beneath,
And the divisions of the inhabitants: workers and
warriors and queen;
I crushed it with my foot, stamping, scattering
the results
Of their labors, for it seemed somehow a danger.
But where did the danger lie? Was it the ant·hill?
Was it the foot kicking at the scattered earth?
Was there a link, however subtle, between
What I had done and what might be done?
I knew neither' act nor motive.
'" '
John A. Williams
