With Ants - edit

[dukealien]

edit;

With Ants


With ants I reach for poison
not because it reaches them
where they hide   
nor because to crush ants
isn’t challenging
(though it’s true
to swat a fly affirms both skill
and my hegemony);
there’s little danger
(as when spraying wasps)
for ants are individually
harmless in my house—
no, like some Middle East
dictator dropping barrel bombs
I spray ants who want to live
in my domain
for they’re many
won’t be bidden
and I can.

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A tardy edit, with thanks to @Knot.  I *think* this is an improvement, though it goes directly counter to your suggestion of cutting the dictator.  Which, as a concept, certainly has merit.