Editor's note: To read "Slugged" is to experience a certain kind of obsession that is so specific it becomes universal--the hunt for that elusive solution. It may go without saying, but I love slugs, and this piece introduced a different type of relationship that a human could have with them, one that was more antagonistic than my personal experiences, which usually involved spying their crystal tracks on a sidewalk or stopping dead in my tracks during a hike to admire a slug in the midst of eating or sleeping or whatever else it is that slugs do. I appreciate poems for the ways they can make me see the world in a different way, and so with that in mind, I appreciate "Slugged," for the new perspective, but also the sharp details and, of course, for a perfect title.
How did you come up with the title? It's a pun, based on the idea of the slug pulling the winning punch.
What can you tell us about the inception of this piece? I live in Cyprus with a husband who has very green fingers and grows lots of great veg in our garden. The slugs, however, seem to think the veg is theirs and we have a constant battle to stop them eating everything before we do.
If we could lift up the log of this piece, what would we see there? I researched ways to get rid of slugs and then became haunted by the idea of their various demises. I imagined them seeking revenge, and what that might be. It amused me to think that the slug would win the war- nature generally does in the end doesn't it?
If this piece were a small forest creature, what kind of small forest creature would it be? Well it's a slug...
Read "Slugged" here: https://gastropodalitmag.wixsite.com/main/post/slugged-by-annie-cowell
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