Writer's Journal: Worm Food (exercise)

(Topic suggested by Hebe)

It has a Shakespearian ring. That is what we all come to, isn't it? Did Yorick say something to that effect? I don't know if he actually used the phrase, but it’s the kind of thing he might have discoursed upon. But Hebe’s worm food is about life, not death. About growing good organic veggies, I presume, and keeping people healthy. I don’t have the energy or inclination for serious gardening. I want hardy things that take care of themselves: native plants are the go. Maybe I should try growing lilly pillies or something. They are said to be vey healthy eating, a rich source of Vitamin C.

Bush tucker, eh? But I would draw the line at goannas and things, caught and killed with my own bare hands.No thanks, can't get that far back to nature. So when the worms finally come to feed on me, they might find a toxic corpse. Will it bother them? Probably not.

When Hebe said her worms must be eating each other (because she has't got enough worm food) I thought, ‘Oh no, they are probably just dying quietly of starvation — but after all they do eat meat, flesh, so maybe....

Andrew and I did once try a compost bin but we didn’t have the hang of it. The day a rat jumped out of it was the day we gave up and got rid of the whole damn mess. Our pumpkins flourished without it. That is what I mean by hardy plants. We thought pumpkins would take over the world, even though we did little to help them thrive. In the end we got rid of them too. It was all too much to cope with.