Ant In The Rockery. Poem by Miki Byrne

Rocks sprawl. Great plateaus and cliffs
Warm from April sun. Scurrying through
great forests of Aubretia a determined ant
perseveres. Next, he's through the Semper-
vivum it's petals as dangerous as blades

that spike the air and hold fleshy crevasses
Full of danger for the minute traveller.
This sturdy creature treks on, through dark
rich soil, towering cushions of saxifrage,

sharp grit and last years' moulding leaves.
with lurking spiders whose webs suspend,
as they wait for morsels such as he. The ant is
weighed down by a scrap he has captured
yet is undeterred by all and any garden obstacle.

He is driven by hunger and collective instinct
To return to the nest. Carry his offering.
Through weather and predators he is undeterred
And will deliver his prize to his queen.