On my way to Ptown, binoculars in one hand, checking the surf just in case, my head wrapped in the harmonies of Abel Korzeniowski, I am catching up on some reading about termite societies. Then I remembered: termites have not only a queen but also a living king. They pair for life and spend their entire reign together in the royal chamber.
In my mind appeared a busy colony, underground or hidden deep within a mound, its different castes working together to sustain the whole. Then, as the violin crescendoed, the little king suddenly stepped into the foreground of my imagination. That image made me smile. And then, unexpectedly, it made me tear up.
Go figure.
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๐ท Not a king or queen, but just as captivating, likely a worker caste individual, possibly the Eastern subterranean termite · Termite ร pattes jaunes (Reticulitermes flavipes) | © Claire O'Neill, observed Apr 25, 2020 · Medford, MA, USA
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