I was sitting for ages on a bench
In a bus station
An able bodied man
Approached me for a donation
To buy his food for the day.

I was hesitant to help
But conscience dictated otherwise
I gave him money
Enough to buy a single donut
And a cup of hot cocoa.

He got the cash
Without saying a word
My eyes followed him
He went into a nearby convenient store
When he came out
He got a beer and a pack of cigarettes.

I heaved a sad sigh
And looked at the ground
Then I saw a battalion of ants
Like tiny dots
Marching in a clothesline
Each of them carrying a grain of rice.

Passersby stepped on them
With their stilletos
And tennis shoes
But they rise as if nothing happened
And proceeded to work.

Oh, how diligent
And clever
Are the ants
They prepare their food
For drought
And flood.

They got brains
Smaller than pinpoints
Whereas the man
Got a brain
The size of a bowl.

The man came again one day
But I rapid fire
A piece of advice
To make use
Of his rusted
Brain and bones.