Halt the March of Concrete, Let Soil be

The rain pattered down as I walked through the mud, the ground a milky-chocolate river.

- Neha Sinha

As the water subsided, it left many things uncovered. The first was plump, fleshy and writhing. Earthworms-flooded out of their subterranean homes, waiting for the water to drain so they could burrow back to their world.

Millipedes climbing walls to escape the mud river, the smell of wet leaf everywhere.

Two hours later, I looked more closely at the soil around me. Little balls of mud, the size of tiny mouth-fresheners, lay in heaps on the ground. These were evidence of earthworm industry. Worms go through soil and leave digested heaps behind; this is excellent fertilizer, the turned soil is good for the growth of plants and aids the penetration of water.