Of Slugs and Snails

Snails are wise old souls.
They remember every single one of their past lives
Stretching through the infinity of the universe
And carry their memories around
In the shells on their backs.
Snails have to move very slowly and carefully
As memories can be so heavy.
We know this
So we save them from hot roads
And hide them from hungry birds
And we hold tiny funerals
Weeping on our knees
When we don't watch where we walk
And stamp them into oblivion.

Slugs also move very slowly
Not from the burden of an eternity of memories
But because they simply couldn't be bothered
And life's a free country when you're tiny and slimy.
So they opted out and abandoned their shells
On an alternate plane of existence.
We know this 
But we garnish them with salt
And imprison them with eggshells and pellets
And celebrate for days
When they wither in the sun.
Just goes to show
What might happen to you
If you don't pull your weight.