Slug
I stepped down on
the creature I hate the most in this world -
something changed.
It spat, gurgled and frothed
like acid churned in milk.
A long wet black cigar on the pavement
stained with weeks of early autumn rain.
Bouncing platform heels like car tyres thudding
on the spongy ground– heel to toe, heel to toe.
With might
a soul caught the tip
and slipped like a banana skin.
A glance backward
gut feeling
I know who you are.
Rancid orange smeared in a line -
A tangerine yoghurt pouch squeezed.
Panic, pain
like touching a hot pan
‘what do I do now?’
My mouth waters
wretch between breaths
‘Find some grass to clean it off your shoe’
resist the automatic reaction to sniff the sole of your shoe
breathe
find grass
don’t look
vomit
don’t vomit
look away
imagine something else
it’s not a big deal
there
Like a dog digging for treasure on sandy beaches
I pawed at the earth
‘Out damned spot!’
Will these shoes ever be clean?
One step
was all it took
to rid the path of the one creature
I hate the most in this world.
