Snails
How convenient to carry a home on one’s back, I
think, disregarding heft and plumbing and the shape
of rooms too hollow to feel. Yesterday a box of African
chapbooks migrated to my doorstep, and I plucked
yellowing leaves from the tomato plant by the poetry
shack. Marine snails constitute the majority of snail
species, but we count first what we can see. Everything
turns–the days buzz by like male blackchins swooping
through their pendulum air-dance, and I tally my
diminishing hours from the safety of these walls.
Heliciculture is another word for snail farming, but
reminds me of stars spiraling wildly above my roof
each night, spewing poetic fire throughout the cosmos.
The neighbor mows her lawn and I observe the wind
stepping from treetop to treetop, another sign of the
earth’s continued rotation. Their slime permeates human
cosmetics to minimize premature skin aging, and was
once used medicinally to soothe coughs (I write this
as mucus slides down my throat, a response of the
lung’s filtration system to histamines). There is much
to consider about the intricacies of harvesting slime.
Most snail species consume plants, but a few are
predatory carnivores, which leads to questions
about their prey. Cooked in butter with garlic, served
with a dry white? I spear one, contemplate texture
and move on to the next, leaving behind no visible trail.
* * *
My poem “Snails” was published on Vox Populi in October 2017. Many thanks to founder and editor Michael Simms for giving this poem a home.
I Love this one. It’s nice to read another mind path that trails simular to mine.
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Thank you. The mind wanders where it will… 🙂
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Yes, amazing
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Thank you, Beth.
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Well, not so much the snails, but I do like your Heliciculture connotations.
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I had no idea that heliciculture had been so widely practiced, and for so long!
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This was wonderful! Glad to have found you.
Do check me out to! Here is a link to get you started if you do decide to:
https://myspirals.com/2018/04/22/a-list-of-things-about-her/
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Thank you. I’ll be certain to visit.
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I love the way you move through this, going with the flow and, oh, so much for the snail…great read.
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Thank you. I’m so pleased you liked this!
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Gulp
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In more ways than one! 🙂
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Yep
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So awesome!
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Thank you, Rachel!
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A wonderfully told story Robert, but I’m feeling a bit sorry for the cooked and speared snail, although I did try a Snail entrée on my cruise, yep they were scrumptious
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Ha! I thought a little self-examination was due there… 🙂
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What a great write 😊 really enjoyed it
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Thank you, L!
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😊😊😊
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Great read. I specially like this line, “we count first what we can see.” It says so much in so few words.
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Thanks, Ali. We think we know so much, but we often haven’t a clue what’s happening out of sight.
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I so appreciate the message about looking deeper. There’s so much to see under the surface
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Wow!!!! This was such a tasteful read lol it requires a sophisticated palette!
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Ha ha! Thank you.
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