Worms dreaming

More than a year ago Harriet and I developed a story-song that I've been singing to her at bedtime ever since. It's called "Jackie's garden." The bulk of it is improvised and describes two dreams she'll have that night: in one dream she's an animal, in the other a plant. It's a good chance to think about what it might feel like to be a slug, potato, squirrel, nettle, or whatever—to be tiny, or furry, to hunt, to be dormant, to be eaten. When I first sang her a worm dream, she liked it so much that she asked to be a worm each night for a couple of weeks. Then she spent time during the day pretending to be a worm, and later wanted to be a worm for Halloween.

Worm and bee, Halloween 2010

In the spirit of Jackie's garden, and in honor of my two little daughters, I dedicate this blog to all the worms quietly moving and dreaming beneath our feet.