sluggards like snails,
their mucin trails
glistening.
Sloths that move
only one foot
per minute
as algae
grows green
disguise on their fur.
Turtles tarry,
warming their shells
in the sun–
snack on a mock
strawberry. A manatee–
grazing sea-cow, plump
potato–feeds
on seagrass
and mangrove leaves:
bobbing, she sleeps
10-12 hours a day.
I crave
this easy
presence, their
acceptance
that what needs
to be done will get done.
I want what they have–
an innate knowing
that to rush is to miss
the connection.
—
Megan A. Pastore is an award-winning poet and fiction writer from Chesapeake, VA. Recent publications include Nota Bene, Lightwork Literary Journal, Eat Darling Eat, Barely South Review, and poets.org. Her work is forthcoming in the anthology Letting Grief Speak ed. by Diane Zinna (Columbia University Press). Megan is currently enrolled as a Poetry candidate in Old Dominion University’s Master of Fine Arts program and works as the Senior Poetry Editor for Barely South Review.
