I was a banana slug
caught trespassing
in the center of your house.
I felt nervous and
out of place when
you found me and
put me in a jar then
stared at my slimy sunrise body.
I thought
surely this will be the end of me
I will be killed.
through the glass I spied
your heart beating
for me as you picked it up
like a carriage and
carried me back to
a turquoise valley that
was familiar and beautiful and
released me in the rain.
looking back I remember thinking
about what all I must go through
to get back inside your house.
because I loved the way you were staring at me.
the way your heart was beating for me was new.
and now that feeling is lost.