Minnesota Land Snail
I admire your insouciant saunter–
your devil-may-care sashay.
The insistent probe of your tentacles;
the determined waves of your slimy sole.
For you, I lay down on the gritty path.
For you, I risked ticks and bee stings.
For you and for me, a kind man stopped,
Asked if I needed help.
Asked permission to ride on by.
In gratitude to you both,
I moved you safely off the path.
In gratitude to flora and fauna,
in all its photogenic majesty,
I will lie on the path again.
I will ensure your image persists
long after you are gone.
Long after we all are gone.
Meriah Lysistrata Crawford is an associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, as well as a writer, editor, and private investigator. Among her publications are short stories in several genres, essays, poems, multimedia projects, and a variety of scholarly work. www.meriahcrawford.com.