that ant got me good
pulled a weed from its nest
got stung in the thumb
sloppy on my part
not paying attention
bulldozing without looking
God only knows how thoughtlessly
I’ve stepped on toes cut people off
or tore apart their feelings
today was a stinging lesson
and a debt paid in pain
to the injustice collector
who let me go with a warning
that in a world of niches
I belong to only one
and if I don’t respect that
he’ll be back to collect
again
and yeah
it still hurts