Drawing a line in the Sand

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Drawing a Line

in the sand...

when I was walking

the coastal track

this morning

I came across a line

drawn in the sand

at first I thought

it may have been 

a column of furry caterpillars

that like to travel 

tip to tail

and give off a putrid stench 

if touched

but when I looked closely

I saw that it was a marvelous

feat of structural engineering

it stopped at a fallen leaf

where the ants were congregated

busy

busy

busy

and from there

some of the tunnel

was only in wall stage

looking like a pin ball maze

while other sections

were nearing completion

nearly sealed over

and I wondered...

how can this architectural wonder exist

how do the grains of sand stick together

how does the roof stop from falling in

do the ants climb on each others' shoulders to build the roof

what is the tunnel's purpose

do the ants not like the sun

or the rain

what function does the tunnel perform

how long had this building taken

how many workers were employed

how do they know which section to work on...

It was still early morning

and few joggers and walkers 

had made their way

along the track...

Within an hour

the tunnel would be trodden on 

and destroyed

by feet oblivious

to the structural masterpiece

created during the night

in the sand...

would the ants start again

or would it be time

to draw a line in the sand...

who would make the decision to quit

would there be a consensus

do ants have telepathic communication...

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