I decided recently to update this terribly neglected and underused website with more of my creative endeavors, with the vague thought that perhaps collecting my disparate projects together might display some kind of direction and progress and inspire future efforts.
While I was refreshing the site’s design, WordPress asked me if I would like to add a logo. In a fit of whimsy, I grabbed one of my favorite drawings, spent a bit of time removing the background to convert it into a PNG, and- TA DA- made my personal logo, my “brand,” a snail.
In the interests of retroactively justifying this impulsive decision, I present you with the following poem.
Considering the Snail
The snail pushes through a green
night, for the grass is heavy
with water and meets over
the bright path he makes, where rain
has darkened the earth’s dark. He
moves in a wood of desire,
pale antlers barely stirring
as he hunts. I cannot tell
what power is at work, drenched there
with purpose, knowing nothing.
What is a snail’s fury? All
I think is that if later
I parted the blades above
the tunnel and saw the thin
trail of broken white across
litter, I would never have
imagined the slow passion
to that deliberate progress.
Thom Gunn, “Considering the Snail” from Selected Poems.
Kate Cousino 