The Ant as an Engineer
This poem is about how ants can function as an army to achieve their culinary goals.
The Ant as an Engineer
Poem
The pastry was delicious, and I wanted it myself,
So I put it in the pantry on the very lowest shelf;
And to keep it from the insects, those ants so red and small,
I made a river round it of molasses, best of all.
But the enemy approached it, all as hungry as could be,
And the captain with his aide-de-camp just skirmished round to see
Whether they could ford this or should try some other plan,
And together with his comrades he around the liquid ran.
To his joy and satisfaction, after traveling around,
The place where the molasses was the narrowest he found;
Then again he reconnoitered, rushing forward and then back,
Till he spied some loosened plaster in the wall around a tack.
He divided then his forces, with a foreman for each squad,
And he marshaled the whole army and before him each ant trod.
His directions all were given; to his chiefs he gave a call;
While he headed the procession as they marched off up the wall.
Every ant then seized his plaster, just a speck and nothing more,
And he climbed and tugged and carried till he 'd brought it to the shore;
Then they built their bridge, just working for an hour by the sky,
After which they all marched over and all fell to eating pie.
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Thanks to Monique Palomares for the illustration. Edited by Lisa.
This poem can be found in "St. Nicholas: An Illustrated Magazine for Young Folks" (1920).
