19 Comments
User's avatar
Annie Hoy's avatar

Well done!!!!

Roger A Adams's avatar

Love the invasive worm comparison to our invasive occupant of the Oval office

Maxine Chernoff's avatar

Great metaphor for our troubles!

nan  woodward's avatar

Thank you for this brilliant writing! Your stunning metaphors teach and bring a warm smile carrying hope.

Congratulations on your wonderful home and thriving garden.

I am grateful that your son's health challenges are finding real helpers. All will be well.

Michelle Heitman's avatar

🪱🪱🪱🪳🪰🐛going back out to my garden to ponder

nan  woodward's avatar

I hope you met some new friends during your pondering! Enjoy!

KatCA's avatar

I have a visual of you ending the day hoping to shut out the noise by learning how to grow grade A heirloom tomatoes, falling down the earthworm rabbit hole and when you finally come up for air you have this brilliant, all-too-perfect metaphor!

Seriously genius writing.😊

Stephanie C's avatar

Brilliant analogy. I don’t garden, but will be forever on the lookout for flatworms.

Cheryl Masters's avatar

Sat on! Nothing else needs to be said

Cheryl Masters's avatar

Meant this to say “spot on”

Ed Colman's avatar

Bravo.

Carletta Starks's avatar

Shanley, this is the best metaphor for the current regime to date. By the way, I will never again be able to look at trump again without seeing a hammerhead flatworm.

Sara Burgess's avatar

Excellent! And now I feel bad about the earthworm I accidentally cut in half yesterday!! Keep up your excellent work, please!!!

Cheryl Doran Girard's avatar

Gold star!!! I am ever so impressed with your essays..

Alice Barton's avatar

Fantastic!! (check out my son's Seacoast Compost near you if you want some magical compost for your garden!!)

Julie Bannerman's avatar

Brilliant! What a vivid, astute metaphor. My garden beds have become a source of wonder since reading your essays. We’re cheering for the earthworms, the real ones and human ones - and hope to emulate the human ones! Thank you - you and your Mom are truly gifted.

Hugh Spencer's avatar

Great analogy - but don't mix these critters up with the ones featured in the Worm Runner's Digest! (Planaria) - these terrestial bastards (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipalium) have even invaded Oz (Bipalium kewense (Hammerhead flatworm) - NatureMapr Australia

naturemapr.org › The Shovel-headed Garden Worm, like other flatworms, does not have a respiratory or circulatory system, a skeleton, or an anus.

Dammit - anal absence - that is maybe one aspect that Trump could emulate.

Cornelia Finley's avatar

Excellent metaphor and, as always, beautifully written. Thank you, Mary 😊