Why do I keep writing about snails?

I once wrote a short story about snails. Last summer, I wrote a Shakespearean sonnet about snails. Now, I wonder why I keep writing about snails.

Maybe it's because of this little poem by Kobayashi Issa I ran into:

O snail,
Climb Mount Fuji,
But slowly, slowly!

It's a beautiful poem that encapsulates the essence of life, meaning, and purpose.

It's obvious that I appreciate poetry like this, being a poet myself.

It's also obvious that I consider myself a snail.

Who doesn't?

RK