What Is It?

While playing outside in the garden, as a kid I remember......Every time you turned over a rock....

There'd be these little grayish bugs.....

that resembled frightened armadillos

running helter-skelter

looking for shelter

I’d pick one up....hold it gently in my hand....

and patiently watch

as it curled into a tiny ball

but I didn't let it fall

I’d watch the protective shell....

it would start to open up

and a million legs wiggled around

then I’d carefully place it back on the ground 

It would scurry about......

as if lost from home

Gently, I covered it with a rock.....

under the protective smile of our garden gnome