as the worm churns

Gary Mitchell and Amos

Editor’s note: Amos is a church mouse who types by hurling himself at the keys, but he can’t use the capital shift keys and he shuns punctuation marks – except the hyphens and the dashes.

spring is about to spring

on me soon boss here

i am glowing in the

warm sunshine the

gentle breeze the

green grass the

swaying trees

it s glorious it

makes you glad to be

alive in the church

pew underground

as i was moseying

along - that s what

folks do around these

parts boss - minding

my own business and

drinking in large gulps

of life i nearly tripped

on a little stubby

earthworm just popping

up out of the ground

oh pardon me says he

i didn t mean to get

in your way on such a

sunshiny day i can

duck back down or

you can go around

i m so sorry to cause

you even a frown

that s all right little

guy says i

what brings you out

to roam about do you

just need a place to

cheer and shout

no i ve never been here

above the ground before

i ve never seen bluebirds

soar nor heard

the ocean roar

i ve lived with dirt

most of my life churned

around the world in

muddy strife forever

wishing for a shovel or

even a knife

so why says i did you

come up to the surface

does all that mud and

dirt make you nervous

no says he but being

in the dark and damp

soil with nothing to do

but wiggle and toil

makes your outlook on

life dim and gray

you keep looking for a

better way to live out

your life in a cheerier

way but instead you

face miles of dirt

sticks and stones that

jab and hurt

life is dull life is bland

oh how i wish i were a

man or a woman or

something that lives

above the land

i have no purpose i have

no plan what use am i in

the grand scheme of god

or man - or even of dust

and sand

my life is over i might as

well lie down and die

he says with a great big sigh

wait wait says me your

life is necessary trust me

if it weren t for you guys

tunneling through the earth

there would hardly be any

springtime or seasonal rebirth

you help make the flowers

and daffodils grow your

continuous toil keeps

breaking down the soil and

gives life to plants and trees

puts beauty in flowers and

leaves and creates homes

for birds and bees

you guys are the unsung

heroes of spring

whose efforts we should

proclaim and sing

in fact your lifestyle is

the epitome of christianity

what the apostle paul says

in 2 corinthians four-twelve

so then death worketh in us

but life in you

so three cheers for earthworm

christians boss may their

kind live long and their joy

be full

amos