Djeran
When the ants become active.
If you do not know,
Ants are group insects;
Workers, living as a collective.
Ice-winds prickle skin, raising gooseflesh;
Ants are group insects,
They form lines, queues, chains.
Fingers numb around leashes;
Ants are group insects,
They forage, return home, speak of good fortune.
Breath fogs, feet marinate in muddy puddles;
Ants are group insects,
They laugh and joke, think of each other with longing.
Rain soaks sandwiches and Marie biscuits;
Ants are group insects,
They fill Winter pantries, ready nests.
Have you seen a lone ant?
Ants are group insects;
Isolated, they scurry in anxious circles.
Djeran is one of the six Noongar seasons. It is the time of year when the cooler weather begins, and flying ants emerge.
Marie biscuits are made from precious nuggets of childhood, butter, and laughter on Summer days.
Image credit: flockine/ Pixabay
Asha Rajan 
The ant sentences worked as an anchor for the voice of this poem. The first line in each stanza flits away to facts about things outside their body, while the narrator’s mind keeps coming back to the idea that isolation is not natural. I liked how the last lines of each stanza slowly moved from ant behavior to people behavior. The metaphor was clear for me and worked well.