Locusts

"A single swarm can contain up to 150 million 
locusts per square kilometer of farmland." - Associated Press



They are not dark tears from a pharaoh's eyes, 
nor a belt of bees unloosed from a titan's
distant tower. Their flight path is not 
a channel clogged with vessels of trade 
or commerce. They are together 
a dark body on whose surface is a mouth 
made of very fine short hairs. They sense 
the quality of air and can hover 
for days and days in the wind. 
They are said to be patient 
and can withstand extended periods 
of deprivation. Along the edges of the sky 
they find small openings in which 
they can spiral without cease. How many 
creatures can hear the sounds of the world 
and of frightened cows through the ear 
in their abdomen, or feel the color green?