Cast
‘The hobbyist / aims a drum / of fierce / aluminum.’ /
Pouring molten aluminum into an anthill turns invasive species into beautiful art.
—International Science Times
This hill
of sand.
Pell-mell
all descend
in file
beneath
and fill
our labyrinth.
The hobbyist
aims a drum
of fierce
aluminum.
Heat’s dragnets
seal it:
Those in darkness
see a light.
Daniel Leonard is a poetry MFA candidate at Boston University, where he was recently awarded the Hurley Prize. His poems have appeared in First Things, North Central Review, and elsewhere.
Editors' Note: See Casting A Fire Ant Colony with Molten Aluminum, a YouTube video that has more than 58 million views so far. Photocredit: AnthillArt.com.
Also in this Issue
Issue 26 / July 9, 2015- Editors’ Note
Issue 26: The trust molecule, Luther’s forerunner, and the joy of watching a soccer great.
- The Shalom of Neurochemistry
Oxytocin rewards us for human connection. /
- The Long Legacy of a Roasted Goose
Proto-reformer John Hus was burned at the stake 600 years ago this week. We are all Hussites now. /
- The Messi-ness of the World
The universe is losing a bit of its enchantment for me. But then there’s Barcelona’s forward. /
- Wonder on the Web
Issue 26: Links to amazing stuff /