A Testament

That ant down there, dragging his leg,
pushes his crumb around stones,
cracks in earth, grass stems . . .
may not even see the sky.
No sign he asked for help,
his wife, the neighbors,
or complained that a good ant
now suffers, no Job of ants
on his dunghill to argue with God.
He seems to say,
you push your crumb and I’ll push mine
with no questions asked.
I watch him drag that leg
around hills and down valleys
while he keeps the crumb moving
to push his luck home.

    Original Citation

    America (17 Feb. 1973) 143.

    Word Count
    90
    Original Publication
    Date Published
    1973
    Book Appearance
    Complete Poems
    266
    First Line
    The ant down there, dragging his leg,
    Poetic Form
    open
    Observations

    A rare Hearst poem that draws upon his disability.

    Twitter Quote
    you push your crumb and I’ll push mine / with no questions asked.