If William Blake had contemplated a snail instead of a tiger…….

 

Snaily Snaily

 

Wondrous snail with shell so bright,

Munching cabbage in the night;

The golden ratio plain to see

In your spiral’s symmetry.

 

Beneath the moon you glide around,

Body soft against the ground;

The starlight follows you I think

With signature of silver ink.

 

The gentle sun at dawn unveils

A colourful array of snails;

Glistening upon each leaf

Like jewels beckoning a thief.

 

The rows of beet and celery

Become a mollusc’s gallery;

With gusto chomping - never coyly,

You sculpt each leaf into a doily.

 

I know that some would stop you there,

But soil brings forth enough to share;

This space is yours much more than mine,

Your lineages pre-date time.

 

Thus from that soil we each in turn

Have risen up and shall return;

And if there really is a God,

I’ll praise him for the gastropod.

 

By Paula Montez