Slugs and Poetry

If you garden in California you likely have slugs, unless you live in the desert. This year, slugs and snails have been scarce in my garden likely due to our lack of rainfall. Lizards, opossums and skunks also keep the populations at bay and we have all three.

In the redwood forests of Northern California you have banana slugs which are detritivores, or decomposers. Like other slugs, they process leaves, animal droppings, moss, and dead plant material, and then recycle them into soil humus. So they do good things for the forest and our gardens, (up to a point).

At age seven, I remember carrying a salt shaker to the concrete showers when I camped with my grandparents in the redwoods. I’d “salt” the banana slugs as they crawled up the walls, wash them away then take my shower.

If you’re serious about managing slug and snail populations, check the UC IPM (University of California Integrated Pest Management) website for guidance.

So, can you put poetry and slugs in the same sentence? Children’s author, David Greenberg does. I hate to admit that I have this book. My elementary-age sons found it hilarious and I saved it for my grandchildren.

If you’re up for it, watch David Greenberg “perform” Slugs with visuals on a big screen in a school assembly. Also included on the video are five other poetry books, including Bugs, Snakes and Crocs.

Greenberg performs his rollicking poems for kids. His poems are filled with alliteration, acrobatic meter patterns, snazzy rhymes. Greenberg also weaves into his presentation explanations of the various elements that activate his poetry. He discusses the craft of writing and the fierce perseverance necessary to succeed. He emphasizes the key importance of the writing process. (Excerpt from the YouTube intro).