My World for a Turd

Before you read of 'the World and the Turd'....play the video. Listen now....Listen to the sound of Frogger. Visualize yourself crossing the street with cars coming in either direction and you, the frog.....going back and forth, across and over, up and down. A narrow miss, a split second to react, a nice push forward thru a lane and perhaps another. And then to the other side, if you are lucky my dear.

The other day I was walking the bike path in Egg Harbor Township. This path goes for miles from EHT up to Mays Landing. Every so often it comes to a stop as one has to allow cars to cross at some point, eh?  Well, it was at one of these points that I came across a small black beetle, his world, and while his turd, chances are it wasn't.

You see, as I walk I look forward to thoughts and boredom as well as the observation of nature. I stop and look at leaves or hear the birds and brush my fingers against grass or select the perfect  leaf to stroke the ribs. I will look up and find dragons in the clouds or perhaps ants in the dirt as they carry objects 10 times their weight to someplace unknown. I stop, watch....and be part of nature. Technology has robbed many of us of that. It isn't that the opportunity to be a zen within nature lacks, yet many people grow accustomed to non-observance of such. They are simply too lost in a world of pecking and pressing and swiping. Did it all start with Frogger? Perhaps, or was that Pong? 

Yet here I was immersed in the natural surroundings when the frogger came by, yet at this moment, was dressed in the skin of a 'black beetle'. On the blacktop I looked and saw this black beetle pushing a round turd. Not his turd for it was much larger than the beetle but I couldn't rightly say to whom or what it came from. This particular turd was round, and the size of a meatball. The beetle was pushing the turd across the blacktop. 

Now, the pushing itself was odd, or maybe not if you are a beetle. But the beetle was upside down, if that makes sense. His hind legs were on the turd while his face was down, towards the blacktop. With his front legs he pushed backwards, much like a baby might crawl backwards. With each backward push, the turd moved across the blacktop.

And then along came 'the road'...... I am not one to allow others to harm insects or bees or flies or birds, but here I let the beetle go on its way. Across the roadway separating the two paths it went. Across from one side to other with a car or two coming. Each time, the beetle and the turd dared not to stop, but kept pushing across. Just kept going like Frogger. No sideway jaunts or pauses, or any sudden movement to increase speed. Just a consistent grind. A steady pace. The beetle and the turd, his world. 

Before long, it managed to get to the other side, ....let it be said that neither came out smashed. No baby diaper here all smashed to the side, but a fully intact turd, continually being pushed and pushed and pushed ahead by a beetle so inclined to have the turd be the world.

Then on the other side, it ran up against a twig. The turd and the beetle stopped. The beetle became upright in walking manner and stood on top of the turd, as he was 'king of the mountain'. Scanning the horizon from an inch of elevation, allowed him to find the way around the twig. Back on course he moved forward. Another obstacle, another 'king of the mountain' play. 

Before long, the turd came to leaves and grass. Too difficult for this to continue. And of sudden instant as the world came to close, so did this adventure. Inclined to keep the turd where it lay, the beetle simply crawled under a leaf and remained so, hidden from view. His home? Or just a home found? I don't know. I suppose a leaf of any variety is home to a beetle but do they have any one particular leaf or spot they call home? Why not just ride it out here? After all, I have food, I have the turd. Many insects eats turds so this is not unusual and as long as I have shelter and food, I just need some water and I am sure it will rain today. So, a leaf, a turd and drops of rain. The world belonged solely to the beetle at this moment and he was inclined to accept it, as is. Safely across the street, and then a stop of action, for no real reason other than this leaf blocked the path of the turd. I suppose so.......