Philosophy, life lessons

[Bhavanidevi]

THE WORM TURNS
by Beryle Chambers

Walking back to work from lunch -
grey clouds overhead.
Brooding o’re my future,
with dark thoughts in my head.

I saw a squirming worm upon
concrete dry as bone.
I wondered just why it was here -
in this busy zone.

I thought that I should pick it up
and place it on the lawn.
Then, questioned which side called it
to the place where it had gone.

And what, I pondered, would the worm
think, if human hand,
Reached out to its rescue
and then moved it to the land?

Would it think some Deity
had decreed its fate?
Would worm schools of philosophy
form in fierce debate?

The question was too big for me,
and imagination strayed.
I thought of how few miracles
we humans see today.

If overwhelming power,
can deprive us of selection -
I understand why God prefers
to let us choose direction!

©Beryle Chambers
2011

Attachments:

[Neal Allen (snowtracks)]

Hello Beryle. Welcome to the forum.

Your worm conundrum is a fascinating one indeed and raises an issue that could lead to many hours of discussion. It is well written because it manages in a charming and simple way to make a profound observation.

One wonders whether the author made any decisions about her own life as a result of her realization about the life of her small fellow traveler.

[SweetSilverBird]

Hey Sis! It's great to finally see you here on Poetry Here and Now. People here are very nice and we're all learning from each other. If at any time you feel vulnerable to critique, just post your poem in the safe harbour area. As a rule, I don't critique family or special relationship persons in my life, except to tell them how much I loved their work. It doesn't seem cricket somehow. LOL.

But I do like this poem. I'm feeling a little wormy myself today!

[Brigid Briton]

Hi Beryle,

Welcome to the forum. We've been enjoying your poetry for a while now. Glad that you decided to officially join us.

This is a great example how a deep theological question can be explored with light-heartedness and humor.

I especially like this line: "Would worm schools of philosophy
form in fierce debate?"

That really made me smile.

See, we're not so bad...

[diannet]

Wow... Neal put it so eloquently, so what Neal said. It's got me wondering about saving a butterfly from a spiderweb last year...oh dear...any way this is just wonderful.

[Fire Monkey]

A lovely poem and a good thought. So often people ask why God doesn't do something about a situation, but at the same time we tend to want that something to be whatever we think would be best. With the worm, perhaps it would have wanted one side of the way and you might have saved it by putting it on the other side.....