A cute little snail called Margot
Was served with five other Escargot
Dressed with garlic and parsley
In a sauce served quite sparsely
‘Twas the end of Madame Escargot!

*

Now Margot had a cousin, whose name was Gail
Larger than Margot but not so pale
She wandered the countryside in Northern Israel
But she never moved around on a very large scale
You won’t believe this incredible tale!
But they picked her up on a dusty trail
Her imprisonment felt like a self-betrayal
So, they cooked her with her colleagues in a large tin pail
But she climbed up to the top and lived to tell the tale
And they never were aware, she was alive though frail
So they served her up with bread that was astoundingly stale
Followed by noodles and pan fried quail
And a heaven-sent tipple of dark brown ale
A feast that would corroborate the Holy Grail
But Gail was renowned as a high-speed snail
She abandoned the plate and left a slimy trail
This gutsy little snail was no longer for sale
Hell for leather over hill and dale
She felt as though she’d been in jail
Let out for a spell on a sizeable bail
That was the feeling that did prevail
As she moved around like a mobile entrail
Very aware of every detail
And what her safety should entail
She was happy and her soul did sail
To survive the ordeal deserves a wholehearted hail
She could amble at leisure and seek her male
Every bit a woman from head to tail
This is the story of indebted Gail
An amazingly brave and indomitable Snail

*

Let’s hope they invent a snail embargo
So she doesn’t end up like her cousin Margot

Photo: pixelio.de / Günther Gumbold

Copyright: Rosemary McGuire