In Envy of Snails
The snail twists her head in a cautious half-circle,
Her neck curving like a bent knee, preparing
To levitate. She
Lifts her skirts for a moment, petticoat
And all, and arches her back,
Peeling herself off the soft sticky pavement.
She hovers there for
A fraction of a fraction of a second
Before lowering herself back onto the
Rain-bloated sidewalk, that vast rough gray square
She calls hers. She tastes the heavy air
Around her, she needs
No more: she has steaming raindrops and
A warm resting-place.
It was inspired by In Envy of Cows by Joseph Auslander.