Picnic

Two dark loaves, with a pound of cheddar cheese,
A cooler filled with pasties from Des Moines
More Cornish than the Cornish, chocolate coins
Imprinted with a mediaeval frieze,
Five packets of Chinese and Assam teas,
A lovely pair of jellied mutton loins
(Including hooves, but not including groins),
Fresh watercress, new tubers, and canned peas.

We open up the baskets, and the ants
Approach with trepidation, since they know
From the last picnic our standards are low.
I tighten up my belt, hitch up my pants,
Stand up for this meal, while my wife recants,
And tells the insects, gently, they should go.