Bullet Ant
—Paraponera clavata
Pain is a type of initiation, a boy
plunging his hands into gloves
woven from leaves and stinging
ants, followed by twenty-four hours
of agony. If the body survives
paralysis and uncontrollable
spasms, a warrior is born.
The name Bullet comes from
survivors, those who suffered
both venom and gunshot.
But, today, I think only of those
who didn’t make it. And those of us
who couldn’t give a damn about
the comparison. This world is
already too full of warriors.
*
David B. Prather recently won the Arthur Smith Poetry Prize from Madville Publishing for his forthcoming fourth collection, A Heart that Stretches the Length of the Body. His work has appeared in many publications, including New Ohio Review, Poet Lore, Chiron Review, Prairie Schooner, etc. He currently serves as the Annual Spring Conference Director for West Virginia Writers, Inc. Website: davidbprather.com
Wow!
Very poignant and timely – the ending is so right-on.