For five days in June, Ethical ELA is hosting a poetry “open write.” Today’s prompt used “things you can do with…” as the opener. The first noun that popped into my mind when reading the introduction was “slug,” because they are the nemesis of Pacific Northwest USA gardens, especially during years like this, when cool, wet weather lingers. I spent several hours in the garden today, and dispatched quite a number of them!

Things you can do with a slug

sprinkle salt on it
chop it in pieces with a spade
feed it some beer
or sourdough starter

invite snakes
and frogs
and songbirds
into your garden
to dine on it

surround plants
with copper bands
to zap it

but ultimately
slug is here to stay
and so am I