The mole that snouted up that loose red mound

Of earth; the worm that turned those worm-casts; now,

They are enough to pucker any man’s brow.

Once (I was only a boy) I caught a mole,

And he was angry, and bit a little hole

In the ball of my thumb. Worms I have often found,

Glow-worms, and ones like this that slithe around.


It’s funny to think of the life that’s under ground.

EPITAPH