Monday, July 27, 2020

saving snails

like the star fish that are thrown back to sea
one by one 
we pick up snails 
and put them in the grass
to avoid them being trampled underfoot or wheel 

where are they headed
these sluggish beasts carrying their worldly belongings on their backs
trekking across dangerous paths 

do they know what there is on the other side 
does the journey matter more than the destination 
what do they think
as they hang airborne for a while 
under our fingers giving them a lift ? 
they curl straight up as soon as we lay them down
setting out to slime 
they fly 
and are afraid 
have we helped or hurt? 

their homes look so sturdy
yet with one step of our boot
they crack 
their bodies reduced to lifeless slime
mixed in with bits of shell 

to avoid this 
we pick them up and put them away 

No comments:

Post a Comment