The Snail's Pace

By Amos Russel Wells

Said the Snake to the Snail: “How absurdly you crawl!
I scarcely can see you are moving at all.”
Said the Hen to the Snake. “With no leg and no wing.
No wonder you travel so slowly, poor thing!”
Said the Fox to the Hen, “You have wings, that is true;
But what are your wings when I get after you?”
Said the Wren to the Fox: “Don’t you think you are spry!
But what are your legs to a bird that can fly?”
Said the Hawk to the Wren, “In my masterful flight
Your fluttering pace is a leisurely sight!”
Said the Snail to them all: “This big world is my steed,
And I travel upon it as fast as I need—
Yes, dally upon it, in spite of your smiles,
No less than three-fourths of a million miles.
You think you excel in your hurrying race:
Can any one beat me in traversing space?”

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