OF BIRDS AND WORMS

The early bird catches the worm, they say,
Most everyone knows it is true;
Maybe that's good, and maybe it's bad,
Depending on your point of view.

The worm might tell you, if worms could talk,
That being early's absurd,
Why should a worm be in a hurry,
To be grabbed by a mean old bird?

Our feathered friends, on the other hand,
Would be very likely to say
That getting up early, for a nice fat worm,
Is the best way of starting your day.

The more you study the question, it seems,
The less the issue confuses,
In Nature's design, when somebody wins,
There's somebody else who loses.

The moral resulting from this little rhyme,
Good common sense will confirm,
Whether it's best to be early depends
On whether you're a bird or a worm!

--Autumn Acres (1982)