microcosm

so much to see
in a square foot of earth
take a seat, observe for a while
and a mysterious world appears

watch the grass
catch a breeze
some blades dance
others are wallflowers
like a snowflake
no blade
is Xeroxed
different colors
different shapes
blend into a lawn

spot the earthworms
peeking
from their tunnels
two ended prairie dogs
testing the wind
avoiding birds
twisting and turning
burrowing in again
networking
beneath the lawn

there, a platoon of ants
scouts ahead
foragers searching
food for the colony
a carcass
of a beetle
bisected
several workers
to each section
presenting dinner to the queen

above, a solitary bee
buzzes about
the grass
and the dandelions
sampling nectar
from flower to flower
collecting
the pollen
needed by the hive
for the honey factory

so much to see
in a square foot of earth
so often missed
by the human animal