At the moment, we humans are lucky to coinhabit the earth with mollusks,
even if we are a recent presence in their much longer history.
I hope the terrestrial snails, secreted away in their burrows by day across the earth's vast landscapes, will continue their mysterious lives,
gliding slowly and gracefully through the night, millions of years into the future.
my bit of forest
has a plethora
of snails and slugs
its a joy to come across them
walk quietly
without a lot of fanfare
watching carefully
where each foot falls
to avoid accidental smooshes
if not frightened
by vibrations
of ponderous footfalls
tentacles will be up
looking for the future path
as they scoot along
too swift moving toward them
tentacles will retract
stay quietly observing
tentacles will unfurl
once again
curiously seeking ahead
spiffing the forest floor