Getting Fit with Earthworms

I recently began an early morning walking routine. Up every morning at the crack of dawn, tennis shoes on, earbuds in, walking, walking, walking.  This has become my favorite time of the day. The solitude, the calm before the kids wake up, the fresh morning air... I love it.  My route is always the same. I have a 2.5 mile loop mapped out from my house, up the street, around the corner and back.  The view doesn't change, really. I do enjoy the stretch of sidewalk beside the park, densely wooded with sunlight peeking through the trees. I like to smell the dirt and the cool, damp air. I would brave the trails through the forest, but one time one of my neighbors told me he saw bear scat back there and even though he was probably full of shit, I don't play with bears. So I stick to the sidewalk.

While the sidewalk is happily bear-free, walking here can be very monotonous. Verging on boring, really, so I do little things to occupy my mind. I like to write haiku, so I'll make up little verses about the things I see. For example,

Black widow spider
finish spinning your egg sac
I will walk away











or this one


turtle head peeping
come out of your shell for me
let me see your face

But mostly what I see are dried up crusty earthworms.

June was an exceptionally rainy month, and many earthworms were washed up onto the sidewalk to die, their bodies littering the path. I see them every day, and after a while I became sort of fixated on them. I think the weird combination of tramping on earthworm remains and reading a bunch of Shel Silverstein books with my kids is what inspired this piece.

Earthworms
by Amy Porterfield  :)

It's always the same
each time that it rains
the sidewalks are littered
with earthworm remains.

The life of an earthworm
is simple at best,
munching the soil
never stopping to rest.

But often it happens
when the rain comes down,
the worms come up
fearing they'll drown.

Wriggling to the sidewalk
to catch their breath
completely unaware
of their looming death.

But here comes the sun,
ready or not!
Sighs weary Earthworm,
"My, but it's hot!"

This photo has nothing to do with the story.

Either does this one.