Muddy


I dream of getting good and muddy
sometimes. When I reach the end of a spreadsheet,
I wonder when was the last time
I let my bare toes squelch around in mud.

I know I did regularly
when I could use the excuse
of having young children, too squirmy
for any tidy activities. A little muddy
play always left them satisfied
and ready to nap afterwards.

I've gotten muddy with guests,
charmed by the sights of my county,
who wanted to feel that famous red clay for themselves.

I’m getting to that glorious age
where I don’t need to find excuses.
Peculiar old women don’t apologize
for a beloved clash of colors or
filling up all of the spaces they fancy.

There’s some fresh tomatoes in the house.
There’s good mozzarella in the fridge.
I have enough to make a sandwich
to take to the creek on my lunch break
so I can play a little in the mud.




Song Choice: Mud on the Tires by Brad Paisley

This poem was created for the prompt at Imaginary Gardens with Real Toads: Just One Word - Muddy It's also linked to Poets United's Poetry Pantry 482.

50 comments:

  1. Ahhh... spreadsheets, the tyranny!!!
    I love this, and really get this. I haven't been in the mud lately either, now that mud-kids are older and... man, I could use a good splash.

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    1. LOL, the kids are welcome to come along if their schedules permit, but the next ramble in the nature center is going to be all for me because I can. So there.

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  2. Let's hear it for peculiar old women! It's the true joy of aging.

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    1. Yaaaaaaas! I intend to take full advantage of it.

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  3. Getting down and wild in the mud is magic--when frustrated, after office work, just because... I love how you put this, all of it. And yes, your 4th stanza made cackle. Bwahahaha!

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    1. LOL I'm just happy that I got some inspiration from the boatload of work I came back to after Bookcon.

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  4. I need to find som lunchbreak mud too... sounds divine to leave those spreadsheet (though the powerpoint is worse)

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    1. I only deal with Powerpoint a couple of times a year, but most of my work life revolves around Excel.

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  5. Sounds like fun. But I have been warped around to not go barefoot on dirt, any soil. Mom wouldn't let us go barefoot for fear that we might step on some broken glass and cut our feet. We lived on a farm where others had lived before us.
    ..

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    1. Yeah, junk left behind by the thoughtless is a legitimate hazard. I try to make sure where I'm stepping.

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  6. Sometimes you have to give in and get really dirty

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  7. I always thought when young it was the natural place to be. When I see dogs doing it too I realise it is a primal urge of most creatures (cats excepted!). I really loved your poem.

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    1. There are a fair amount of children who simply cannot resist the charms of a puddle of mud.

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  8. Hooray for that certain age that allows one to be free of inhibitions!

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  9. Your poem reminded me once again of the joy of squishing one's toes in the mud. And, ha, that one doesn't need to find an excuse for doing it - no matter what the age!

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    1. It's a rather delightful feeling isn't it?

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  10. This made me smile (and consider where I could find a place to poke my toes in the soil). :)

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  11. You are far from being old, kiddo. I love the satisfaction in taking a sandwich to the creek, a good antidote to office work.

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    1. I find I have quite a barrage of it as I try to balance my work load with my travels for the summer. But the creek and it's muddy shores are calling me. :)

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  12. From spreadsheets to creekside sandwiches, this poem has everything. Thanks for taking us on a playdate. Can't wait to get that mud between my toes!

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    1. LOL, I want the post-play date snack and nap time too.

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  13. Mucking through spreadsheets to mucking through mud. One is chore and the other a delight. I love going barefoot and feeling the earth beneath my feet.

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    1. Most summer days will find me in my bare feet.

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  14. Oh this is lovely!!❤️ You make me wanna join you at the creek and play around carefree and joyous in the mud. I love it, Rommy!❤️

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  15. I'm all for getting a bit muddy, who knows what the potter will create.

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    1. We have a famous ceramic tile works in town because of our famous clay. :)

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  16. Must admit - playing in the mid is something I've never done. But I'm certainly of that age, when I'm open to new experiences. Your poem makes me want to try that.

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  17. I really enjoyed this! It reads like a lovely little idyll in a business-as-usual day … muddy reflections … far, far away from the spreadsheets of this world ~ smiles ~

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    1. Yep, rule number one is there shall be no talk of spreadsheets while playing in the mud.

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  18. "Peculiar old women don’t apologize
    for a beloved clash of colors or
    filling up all of the spaces they fancy."

    Love love. Growing older can be blessing (not GROWING old)... but I have a feeling you will always have spring in your veins (and hopefully some mud between your toes)

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    1. I certainly hope it shall be that way too. :)

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  19. We older women have nothing to apologize for. Love this poem, Rommy. It reminds me of when I made mud pies where the water touched the sand at the beach.

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    1. I haven't been to the beach in years either, but yes, that was fun too. :)

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  20. That sandwich sounds mouth-watering! And the creek most enticing.

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    1. It's one of my favorite kinds of sandwiches, especially in the summer when tomatoes are in season.

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  21. YES YES YES!!!!!...today I will be mostly digging in mud (a month's rain forecast for today alone) as eldest wants help planting a tree :D XXX

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    1. Ooh! I hope that tree sets down strong roots and does well in it's new spot.

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  22. Ah...as we age there are new freedoms that we had not understood in our youth. Lovely piece.

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    1. Yep, and I plan to take advantage of them. :)

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  23. I know nothing about spreadsheets, but I do know mud. Oh, the beauty of not caring, but living as loudly,and as muddy toed as you can is my way to live. Love the poem!

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    1. I work from home and spreadsheets take up a huge chunk of my work tasks. But they don't have the power to take up all of my life. :)

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  24. This is as delightful as splashing in muddy puddles ... at my age, 77!!!!!

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