The ants make their way
into my kitchen sink
on the ivy growing
around the pipes
under the house
Disoriented scouts searching
for a morsel or a place
to build a new nest
I pinch them one by one
and throw them
into dirty dish water
Not a bug problem
or a food-left-out problem
A who’s-in-charge issue
Workers and the landlord
fighting over crumbs and housing
while roots oblivious
to my foundation creep
untouchable in the dark
—Published 8th September
About Tony Brewer
Tony Brewer is a poet, event producer, voice actor, and live sound effects artist from Bloomington, Indiana. His books include: The Great American Scapegoat, Little Glove in a Big Hand, Hot Type Cold Read, and Homunculus. He has been offering Poetry On Demand at coffeehouses, museums, cemeteries, churches, bars, and art and music festivals for over 10 years, and he is one-third of the poetry performance group Reservoir Dogwoods.