Escargot

Escargot

I am an ally of the truth, which lives the whole world over,
hiding beneath leaves of grass or hyacinths or clover.

A tiny snail detective, sliding slowly with no sound,
scoping out a food source over every edge and mound—

with its single jaw at work, nature’s innovation
cleans up all her messes with its constant mastication.

Cutter ants march by like time, disposing hour by hour,
of beauty we aren’t finished with, flower after flower,

but the snail goes gliding by, almost beyond detection,
eating everything in sight—less picky in selection.

From animal waste to fungus, and even other snails,
the appetite of gastropods seemingly never fails.

And then, ludicrous humans, knowing not what they do,
themselves devour these creatures who deign to dine on poo!

 

Prompt words today are snail,  innovation, detective, march, ally and clover.

23 thoughts on “Escargot

  1. Sam

    Oh, this one should become a classic, in fact I felt that it would be great to put into your next “Kids book on poetry”…..That is until I got to the last line, (but that can be edited)~! HA~! Anyway I really like it,,,,if that matters~!

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      1. SAM VOELKER

        I realize that it is actually a word often used by mothers when a child is still a baby, but in a children’s book, I am sure it might bring negativity. You know me, I try to please, but who am I to edit another person’s work, especially one this well done. The quickest edit (only to the children edition), that I may do would be: devour these creatures who deign to dine there too!
        Please forget that I said anything, actually I like it as you wrote it, and would not even change that one word~!

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        1. lifelessons Post author

          “Everyone Poops” was a best-selling children’s book in the nineties…I quote:
          “A good-selling book will do about 10,000
          copies in a year, and “Everyone Poops” has sold 40,000 in three months.”

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        1. lifelessons Post author

          Please forgive me for using thy name in jest in today’s poem, Dolly! You are the only recipe-arian I read, so had to make use of thee!!! All in good fun. Forgive?

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