My home is under attack and I have gone to war with the most tenacious, covert, enemy on the planet.  The ant!  Soldiers scout,  platoons swarm, and their bite stings.  Such a tiny nemesis, impossible to defeat entirely.   I don't have a problem coexisting as long as they stay in their space outside and leave the inside of my house alone.  An invasion of my territory is unacceptable.  They are annoying pests that seem to show up after a rain.  I understand these seemingly harmless insects are simply foraging to sustain their existence.  Once they trespass, I have no compassion for their plight.  

Having issued my declaration of war, I have to admit to admiring their tenacity, work ethic, and single-mindedness.  I wish when writing, I was more endowed with those attributes.  They are amazing creatures, capable of carrying three times their body weight.  They have a social structure in which everyone knows their role and they work tirelessly and communally to accomplish their goals. Nothing short of death stops them. 

As a writer, there is much to be learned from the tiny ant.  They can be an interesting subject, used as a metaphor or as inspiration to just keep at it. Whatever "it" may be. 

Robert Frost thought ants were interesting enough to write about, as have some others.  Even I have written a few "ant" poems. 
 

So when you are staggering under the weight of all you have to do, remember the little ant, tenaciously powering through to meet his goals. Maybe writing something down in verse can help lighten your load. And if you happen to write something about an insect and would like to share, post it here.

~~Tinker aka Judi