If someone calls you a worm,

seek clarification. 

If it’s an earthworm they’re referring to,

consider this:

earthworms till soil, recycle,

add nutrients and oxygen,

and help with drainage.

They themselves are food

for robins and other birds,

snakes, snails, bears, foxes,

and hedgehogs.

They provide endless opportunities

for young boys to tease

their squeamish  friends and prove

their fearless masculinity

as they bait hooks and fish. 

If someone calls you a worm,

you are clearly an asset to the planet.

Nod sagely and thank them.

                                                                                               JDG

Today Spring is whistling

a lilting tune

of blue skies and buttercups,

inviting us

to step out, 

sing along,

shake a leg, and dance.

                                                                                        JDG

She tried to trod the well-worn path,

but finding it not to her liking,

she left, and coming to a creek saw

a tree growing most peculiarly –

its bent trunk parallel to the ground

before it turned suddenly

and stretched upward toward the sky.

“It’s clear you’ve weathered storms,” she said,

“and followed a path not typical for trees.

I look at you and smile and say,

‘there grows a tree like me.’ “

                                                                                                                         JDG