ARTIST STATEMENT
After a rainy day in Singapore, we often see the appearance of these tiny, often overlooked creatures in the middle of our path at night. Sometimes, you don’t even see them at all until you feel the soul-crushing crunch of their shells beneath your feet. Thereafter, you wish you had paid more attention when you were walking. While this poem is a heartfelt exploration of how snails might feel, it is also my own apology letter to the two snails I’ve stepped on in my life. I hope you’ve managed to reach your destination, even in snail heaven.
PRAISE
This is particularly salient because right now it’s rainy season in Bangkok. The snails are swarming the backyard. As I water the plants, I often debate whether they can stay. This poem has helped settle my moral quandary, tipping the scale in favor of the snails. Kimberly should consider a career in diplomacy! The poem itself delivers the information in just the right sequence, which keeps the reader engaged and curious. More importantly, as a persona poem should, it generates empathy and understanding for a differing perspective.
—Lyrical Lunacy
“At the Soles of Your Feet” responds to The Persona prompt by Lyrical Lunacy.
At the Soles of Your Feet
When it rains, it pours
I come out, when everyone snores
You think about my neighbour, the tortoise
When you ask if they have won the race against the hare
You don’t think about me
The one who moves like they should be handled with care
Sorry I’m in your way
I’m trying my best
I carry my home with me
Sometimes it burdens me completely
I’ll leave my trail for you to see
So please don’t step on me
Some of us deliver mail
I’m just here for the view
Though it looks like a little too similar
I’m happy to just be here
Days pass
Most people leave me be
Sometimes they call me Gary
Anyway
Thank you
For not stepping on me
It gets a little lonely here sometimes
My friends are long gone
The closest buddy I had
Was found buried underneath some Doc Marts
But my journey has just begun
So I’ll see you
In the long run
Kimberly Lium is a writer and filmmaker based in Singapore. When she’s not writing for the screen, Kimberly continues to hone her craft within the literary community. In 2020, she wrote for the Sit With Me column at the Singapore Writers Festival. She is also the author of two short stories that were published in the Fish Eats Lion Redux and the FRIGHT 1 Anthology by Epigram Books, respectively.