Do you know someone who has a case of mulligrubs? No, it’s not a bushel of strange worms. It isn’t a gross rash resulting from poor hygiene, either.

Mulligrubs is simply a fun word to describe a despondent, sullen, or ill-tempered mood.

If you find yourself with a bad case of the mulligrubs, you might be doing everyone a favor if you retreat to your growlery.

Although this article started as a simple “word of the day” piece, we stumbled across the following poem that is just begging to be shared here. Hopefully, it will cure your case of mulligrubs.

MULLIGRUBS
BY KERRY HAMMERTON

I cultivate the mulligrubs in my 
mulligrubbery, feed them night air
forgotten desires and worms,
bathe them in leftover tears.

The mulligrubs disrupt my sleep
with their stomach cramps and
Mawkish cries for water, for tea.
They invade my dreams,

with their dreams of choking
smoke and dragons, spotlights
searing their souls, rubbing
their sweaty paws along my back.

We’ve come to an agreement,
the mulligrubs and I, they can
visit me once a day (never
at night) and only one at a time.

They have to leave when I say.
(they don’t always listen)
We’ve promised, on both sides,
never to step on each other’s shadow

FROM THE SOL PLAATJE EUROPEAN UNION POETRY ANALOGY, VOLUME 2