A Snail's Pace (Poetry)

I have lived life at a snail’s pace —
always leaving things too long.
I might have run a different race
had I not have measured wrong.

I always thought there was more time
but the years have slipped away
unnoticed ... and the fault was mine —
I dawdled through each day.

And now the finish is in sight
it’s too late to count regrets —
I didn’t chase the goals I might
or place more likely bets.

But a snail is not designed to win —
they dream safe in their shell
too vulnerable — they shrink within
while life sprints past pell-mell.