Slugs

Blessed are You,
Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
for spotted slugs,
fat and sticky,
slow and steady.

Blessed are You
for measured slither,
like slow-motion snakes,
leaving moisture on rocks,
strings of slime on sticks and leaves,
sensing with eyestalks—
reach forward, shrink back.

Blessed are You,
Lord our God,
King of the Universe,
for mantled slugs,
who live their adventures
one inch at a time,
knowing only what is
at the tips of their tiny tentacles—
a life of quiet trust.