It was with great anticipation that I took my four year old grandson Wyatt out to one of my secret fishing holes recently. I had every intention of passing along some of my well honed and time tested fishing skills to my young progeny. Much to my disappointment, he appeared to be far more interested in playing with the night-crawlers than he was in absorbing the finer points of the craft. As I watched his bobber plunge deep beneath the surface for the third time I yelled out, “Wyatt, grab your pole. You’ve got a big one on your line.” Rather than leaping into action, he sat cross legged on the bank staring at the eight inch crawler dangling from his finger tips. Ignoring my call to action, he asked very thoughtfully, “Grandpa, why don’t worms have heads?” I couldn’t help but laugh. That boy has a way of asking questions, the subject matter of which would never cross my mind. That question served as the catalyst for the second bedtime story we would conjure up together.


Why don’t earthworms have a head?
Where is their mouth to keep them fed?

Which end is the front… which end is the tail?
Is it a girl… or is it a male?

Is a worm happy or is a worm sad?
Is a worm grumpy or is a worm mad?

Without a face it’s so hard to tell,
Is the worm healthy… does it feel well?

Does a worm have a brain so it can think?
Without any eyes… worms sure cannot wink?

How do worms see without any eyes?
Is everything just one big surprise?

Worms can’t tell red from yellow or green.
They can’t see if you’re nice or you’re mean.

Without eyes, worms can’t make tears…
and cry when scary things give them fears.

I wonder what noises an earthworm hears.
It must be quiet without any ears.

Without a mouth… how do they drink?
Worms must get thirsty…is what I think.

Without lips worms can’t make words…
and scare away the hungry birds.

How do they smell without a nose?
Worms can’t tell roses from stinky-toes.

When I hold worms… they always wiggle.
It tickles my hand and makes me giggle.

What do earthworms do for fun?
Without any legs… they sure cannot run.

Worms crawl on their bellies… just like a snake.
But, even snakes have heads… for goodness sake.

I ask myself as I lie in my bed…
Why in the world don’t worms have a head?