The Thoughts of an Inchworm

I’m told that I am called the inchworm. The inch in my name confuses me. I hear people say that they can inch up to something. That means, they get closer by an inch. I can easily do that. But if I crawl along for more than an inch, say maybe a foot, should I still be called just an inchworm? Why can’t I then be called a foot-worm! Or a yard-worm, or even, who knows, a mile-worm! Wow, how about a name like that?

Then there is the worm in my name. A long time ago worm was spelled wyrm, then they erased the y and wrote an o in its place. I don’t know the feelings of the y, it could feel left out or maybe it did not want to be a part of worm. My feelings are that I like worm more than wyrm.

The worm part of my name is not popular, I know this to be true. But worm is not too far away from better liked words. Just read: warm, word, work, wore and worn and I think you will see what I mean. Worm is not in bad company at all. It is true, all those words do sound better than worm. But I don’t complain, I can only be me, inchworm.

What do I think about me? I am a small worm. A worm is an animal with no bones, no feet, no hands, no eyes, no ears, no teeth. I can crawl, eat and sleep. Some say, “That’s not a lot.”  I say, “It’s a lot more than a rock!”

And what do I think about where I live? I live out of plain sight because if I am seen inchworming about, I could be grabbed by a bird or squashed by a foot. So I live happy in hiding without making a sound.

Others may say, “We don’t want to be an inchworm.”  But for me, it’s just fine. I know just what to do and never have to tie any shoes. Now it’s time for me to go back to inching about for the rest of the day. Those are the worm thoughts I had to say.