Brace yourself.  The following content is a little disgusting.  However, decomposers make the world go ‘round!

I am always amazed (and a little revolted) when I come upon this scenario after a rainfall.  The roads are damp with yesterday’s rain and littered with the remnants of many slugs who had ill-fated encounters with car tires.  Then out come the other slugs to explore the damage and have a bite to eat.  I guess in nature, a slug’s job is to do the clean-up work, and they make no exceptions.  They take their work gravely.

Cannibal Slug

 

After the rain,

rolled out flat as a rug,

mashed by a car,

lies a goopy, squashed slug.

 

Here comes his friend

to console and to hug.

Wait … she …

bites this poor dude

with her own slimy mug!

 

Who would have thought

she could be such a thug?

Chewing her friend,

ugh – a cannibal slug!

 

For some happier poetry, please visit Ramona, this week's gracious Poetry Friday host, at Pleasures From the Page.

Poetry Friday

 

18 comments

  • I love the jaunty tone, Tracey, even for a cannibal slug. It is what they do & while we may cry "Ew", it is what they do. I love that middle part of your poem, "to console and to hug./Wait … she …" Big smile! Have a great long weekend!
    • Too funny, Anastasia!  My son graduated from a university with a banana slug mascot, so I can only assume we are talking about the same place, 'cause how many of those could there be?!!
  • Wow, Tracey, what an image, and what a sweet poem. This looks like it would be a good submission for Carol Labuzzetta's anthology. Did you read about it? https://theapplesinmyorchard.com/2023/09/01/poetry-friday-more-mushroom-finds-haiku-anthology-update/ 
    "goopy, squashed slug" and rhyming it with rug made me laugh aloud. Gross!
    • You're right,  Denise.  It is gross, but I couldn't help myself.  I had not thought about this for Carol's anthology!  Perhaps it's a little more disgusting than she's looking for ...   : )
  • "They take their work gravely." *snort*
    I love/loathe your poem, and am with you in appreciation/disgust for the scavengers and decomposers! (Your rhymes are spot-on!!)
  • "They take their work gravely." haha, love it! Your poem seems like one kids would get a kick out of :) Submitting it to Carol is a great idea.
  • I battled slugs in my flowers this summer, but did not know they were cannibals! Kids would love this icky, gooey poem for sure. The rhythm is great and the rhyme seems just right. And then that zinger about the consoling friend! Your poem belongs anywhere kids will read it!
    • I am sorry about your slug war, Joyce!  They seem like they could be brutal to a flower garden.  Thank you for your kind thoughts.
  • I'm more a snail girl, myself. Though I do also appreciate the work of slugs! Clever little rhyme, combining humour and facts.
  • So disgusting! Kids will love it. I can hear them saying Eww! I can see them teasing each other with imaginary slugs! 
  • Tracey, we were away for the weekend so I apologize for the late response. What a gooey, slimy poem you wrote that reminds me of a party I had outdoors. A slug made its way into a glass of wine and my friend shrieked at the sight. Can you imagine? We still wonder how it got from the ground to the glass. I guess it likes wine to wash down the evening dinner. My little grandgirls were transfixed over the travels of at least 100 ants by their feet so gooey gop would certainly cause curiosity. This poem is so much fun to read.
    • I hope you had a fantastic Labor Day weekend!  OH MY!  Slug-wine would have been a shocker!  I hope that you did not find it after taking a sip.  It does seem like a long journey to get into a glass of wine, but maybe it fell from a tree?  So strange!

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