The Garden Snail

Moving softly in gliding silent strides, a garden snail caught my eye.
I gently moved the private creature to a quiet spot away from the tools
my husband and son were using to repair some damaged patio tiles.

The snail's pretty brown shell sported leopard like stripes,
that seemed bold compared to its shiny grey spongy body.
I sensed its concern as to my intent as I placed it on some tasty bright green grass.

The sun hit the animal's small body, casting a  perfect shadow of its shape,
with the pointed antennae looking perfectly lined out in charcoal black ,
its shadow self a perfect twin to its earthly coloured shell and vulnerable mass.

As the snail moved in slow motion across the grass, I was struck how its shadow
kept perfect time with its master's pace, I delighted in the observation as would an awestruck child.
Here there was revealed more than what was supposed to meet the eye.

If only in this life we would find a balance between our shadow and our light,
letting neither one get ahead of itself, not the good , not the bad, as we leave
our trail and mark along the path that we glide along, feeling our way as best as we can.

So often it is tempting to let only our light come forth, and we deny the need of the shadow following behind. So often the light is denied to favour the power of the shadow, leading to great harm.
To allow both to live side by side, in humility and awareness that few are all light or all night.

The garden snail had moved out of my sight by the time my musings came to their conclusion,
but the humble, quiet creature lingered in my mind. It had taught me something important I thought.
To be gracious, to be kind, and never to lose sight that we are all struggling with both the shadow and the light that life's mystery gives us no choice but to master and understand. 


Trudi Ralston.
September 26th, 2016.