The First Bug I Made Friends with Was an Aphid

& the

second an

ant who

as a

child I

nestled between

my index

& thumb

with tragic

security &

all because

I imagined

they wandered

irreversibly far

from the

others &

still I

remember setting

their small

now-nothinged ant

body atop

the miniature

volcano of

sand protecting

their home’s

entrance so

that their

large ant

family would

no longer

wonder where

they had

[gone] or

[gotten lost]

or [decided

to leave

for good]

& as

I turned

back to

return to

my own

non-ant family

waiting &

worried at

the dinner

table I

watched each

step to

avoid more

anthills &

years &

years later

still do