Any Wise Snail Will Tell You

author’s note:

Oh snail
climb Mount Fuji,
but slowly, slowly!
          — Issa (trans. R. H. Blyth)


ANY WISE SNAIL WILL TELL YOU

Years ago, I was told:
if I could get past
certain obstacles in my path
I would arrive at a place of peace.

So of course I tried to hurry
but by rushing, often stumbled—
and sometimes tumbled
and fell on my knees.

Finally I realized
what any wise snail will tell you:

real progress occurs at a crawl.

But oh—
this slow pace can fatigue the spirit!

Fortunately, I’ve learned
the dangers of frustration.
So before I start to act out
I’ll force myself to stop and sit
down under a tree—
sit

until I again sense
the mysterious music hidden within
the menagerie
of creature, place, and thing
which is this planet

and then
if I can deepen my listening
I'll find my own strange harmony within.

But I can’t keep
what I haven’t yet earned—

at present
I can only stay in that heaven
for a few moments.

However afterwards
I don’t slump with the loss
no
I feel energized—ready
to continue this incredible crawl—

hoping one day to finally clear
all the trash, all the walls
that keep me from rooting down
in that glorious place of peace—

maybe then I can become
one of those human trees
that provide sheltering shade
for tired snails who need
to pause the crawl
and once again feel that harmony
they hold deep within their shells.

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