On a dreary, February morning, at the SCBWI conference in NYC, I dragged myself to the gym.
The windows of the hotel fitness center looked across the street at people working in an office building.
It reminded me of an "Ant Farm."
You know - one of those double panes of plexiglass filled with sand and ants building tunnels?
Source: uncle-milton-large-viewing-area-ant-farm-1.jpg (1500×1500)
As I pedaled my stationary bike to nowhere, I peered into these strangers’ work lives.
I took my nosiness a step further, and I snapped a few pictures and wrote some phrases about what I observed.
That evolved into the following poem, which I fear is a little dark, especially for a Valentine's Day post. My apologies!
Ant Farm
sand-colored walls
support the maze –
carefully constructed
to prevent collapse
workers drag and drop
bit by bit,
opening windows
behind windows
that don't open
some climb higher
some burrow deeper
everyone works
to expand The Colony
The Colony must grow
to support The Queen
does she live
a privileged life?
no, she’s in
the boiler room
pumping out eggs
it's a sweatshop
down there too
a worker delivers food
to the top floor
everyone swarms
around The Crumb
hoping for tales
of The Outside:
is the sunlight intense?
do waterbombs fall from the sky?
they don't love
sand-colored lives,
but at least
they’re secure,
warm,
dry …
until The Giant Hand
shakes their world
© Draft 2024, Tracey Kiff-Judson
On a happier note, it’s Poetry Friday!
Please visit the wonderful Linda Baie at TeacherDance for a poetic stroll down Musical Memory Lane and this week's roundup.
So interesting. I like how you were inspired seeing that building, thinking of ant farms, and composing that rich poem--full of imagery and metaphor for us to contemplate.
"So interesting. I like how you were inspired seeing that building, thinking of ant farms, and composing that rich poem--full of imagery and metaphor for us to contemplate."
I envy your peek into office life and how creatively you told us about it. On Medium, several writers/photographers who are into "street photography" shared similar scenes that helped them to create, as well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I also, like the ending about the giant hand. It seems thousands of humans are experiencing that now, as well. I couldn't help but draw the analogy. Take Care,
Carol