I recently said goodbye
to my neighbors of, oh,
about eight months.

Every day, I would observe
them hovering and skittering
about their home they

had constructed right outside
of my window.  Moments watching
them were memorable ones:

Their small, nimble bodies darting
back and forth on yellow-socked
feet, doing whatever natural,

though undoubtedly important, things
they had to do.  Their empire
expanded daily with its

many cells, some bulging with
the filmy white promises of life.
I recall one dark, stormy night

when an army (at least to my
winged friends) of fire ants
arrived with their fury and

their stinging bites.  I watched
anxiously as the wasps jerked
about, warding off this new

threat to their long established
home; The ferocity of the
storm and the struggle of war

I found to be nightmarish
and forced myself to stop
looking on.  I woke

the next morning, relieved
to see that my tiny friends
had survived the night;  Maybe

these little creatures know of
the enjoyment they provided.
Maybe they don’t.

Goodbye, all the same,
my little neighbors,
Goodbye.