White Ants - Poem by Hans Ostrom

He'd been at his place of work many years
when one day white ants swarmed
into his official space and climbed all over him.
They bit him, making red marks, stinging.

He slapped and brushed, danced and ran.
His co-workers stood stone-faced,
looking at him and the white ants on him.
'Will you help? ' he asked them.

'No, ' one of the colleagues said, speaking for all.
'These white ants are a sign
that you've never fit in here.
They are a sign from the god of careers! '

hans ostrom 2015