After last night’s rain
I stomp outside in my brand-new boots
and spot a plump pink ribbon
lying forgotten in the dirt.

Squatting down,
I notice how
it glistens 
in the morning sun.

I reach out my hand, grasp it,
and the treasure comes to life,
twisting and wriggling
on my open palm.

Peering close, 
I see It stretch and contract,
stretch and contract,
as it hurries to leave my hand.

I place the treasure back on the ground.
Its head quickly vanishes 
into the already drying soil.
Then, in a blink, the earthworm’s gone.

© Kristin Martin 2020

This poem was first published in Orbit, Issue No. 8, September 2020, The School Magazine.