the snail that stopped the traffic

had no idea what work meant
alimony, mortgage, debt, 
paycheque - were unheard of
 
to speed seemed silly 
festina lente is nature's way
 
it only knew about 
to be, to eat, to crawl, to dry
and was about to propose a new verb
to write
 
if only it could reach the park
on the other side of the highway
where the academic snail community 
crept 
 
so, it first ate the green from
the stoplight
and crawled back to the curb
 
much aware of the adverb late 
and that the leaf it carried 
might dry out
and the poem written on it

© Luminita Suse