Buddha Worm - Zach Sherwin

One day I saw a worm on the sidewalk

Making its little way across the pavement

And I thought

«Man, it’s gonna get stepped on on the concrete…

I need to save it.»

So I took out a credit card

And then a second credit card

And used those to scoop the worm up

To dump it in the grass in a nearby yard

It started flailing, fidgeting and twitching

Pitching a conniption fit like it thought I was a pigeon

I watched it convulse and twist and thought

«What kind of pathetic defense is this?

Honestly, has it ever occurred

That a squirming worm has deterred a determined bird?»

And I shook my head as it jerked and thrashed

And then I set it down in the grass

So, I say «You're welcome, worm» —

Both for moving you to safety

And for letting you think your flopping scared me off

Thus allowing you to escape me

You must have felt like a bad mamma-jamma, kid

Tougher than Rambo in his bandanna did

Worm, you’re welcome for letting you believe

You were the Jean-Claude Van Damme of the annelids

Oh!

You’re welcome, worm, you’re welcome, worm.

(x2)

I was deep in these thoughts as I walked on

Chuckling condescendingly

And I didn’t look both ways as I hit the crosswalk

I just stepped out non-attentively and then SCREECH!

I barely escaped being struck by a truck

But I was hit with an epiphany:

I had laughed at the worm thinking it could fight fate

But could I control my destiny any differently?

Till then I’d been thinking that I

Was in a different league than the pink little guy

But I now had more than an inkling that either of us

Could be crushed in the blink of an eye

Whether by a pair of Nikes or a bus

Tomorrow isn’t promised for either of us

And although we’re dissimilar, we’re the same, too

Then the truck honked, and I came to

And I say thank you, worm

You showed me humility

Yes, your vulnerability reminds me

Of my mortality and fragility

And now I’m doing what I can to rid

Myself of an ego as big as a gigantic squid

You enlightened me, worm

You are the Siddhartha Gautama of the annelids

Oh!

I thank you, worm, I thank you, worm.

(X2)

So that’s basically the end of the song…

But ladies, I will say that I am recently single…

So here’s a few takeaways for you

First of all, I’m kind and sensitive, I care about animals;

Two, I’m deep and philosophical;

And three, I have more than one credit card