Social Animal Poem by Sathya Narayana

SOCIAL ANIMAL
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An ant died under my feet.
I trifled the whole incident
'She committed suicide! '

I heard some other ants shouting
'It's a murder, it's a murder! '

None heard
or just turned deaf ears.

Some wasps and bees
fluttered around the carcass
a while and flew away silently.

Again I looked down...
the shouts subdued!
No more other insects were around.

Few drones and queens came out
and are yelling something unintelligible
at the stranded colonies
often swaying their little hands!

The ants are moving now
in a disciplined line into their anthils.

I thought of Aristotle...
'Such a stupid...
complimented the savage
as a mere animal
and praised an unsocial
as social!
After all, he belongs to my race! '