The Merits of Mud

A little lowly smudge of mud

Upon the kitchen floor,

Reminded me that humble hands

Will tackle any chore.

I scrubbed that splotch and thought about

How spring had dawned at last!

A muddy mark alerted me

That winter’s ways had passed.

Oh, how I prized that smudge of mud—

A little lowly thing.

A dark and dirty drop of mud—

A sign of sunny spring.

That early earth of springtime shows

My heart a humble way.

I long to be as meek as mud—

A lowly lump of clay.