Tiny, Silent educator. Poem by Nabakishore Dash

Tiny, but a great educator
is the ant which gives
many useful lessons,
if followed by us,
would make our lives sublime.
Unconventional in the sense
that it is religiously dutiful
without any coercion,
preaches many things
without saying any thing
in the interest of other
social animals to bring in
paradigm changes
in their life time.

Supreme social insects
of short life span,
hard working,
never idle away their time,
perform their duty
with dedication and strong motivation.
Any obstacle put on their path is
surmounted by searching for some other alternative with a spirit of team work and exploration without abnegation.

Our teachers and other
office bearers need
biometric attendance systems,
smart class rooms,
innumerable technologies,
constant vigilantism,
Code of conduct,
voluminous rule and regulation books, punishment for
dereliction of duty,
court and police persons
to work even in their normal
office hours for which
they are amply paid.
Still falsity, insincerity, dishonesty
intrude into our daily duty
and never are we rated
diamonds of the first water,
remain always dismayed.

Ants teach us to
proceed positively and
pursue persistently.
We know these stepping stones
but lag behind to follow them
unhesitatingly,
do them under mandatory
compulsions, that too poignantly.

They are excellent animals
that exemplify the proverb,
'A long life may not be good
enough, but a good life is
long enough',
we should implement it
with devotion, without rebuff.