22 Comments
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Kim Gronsman Lee, MD's avatar

All hail King Slug!!

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Brad Montague's avatar

Hahaha! Yes! A leader we can all unite around. Haha

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Stephanie Rankin's avatar

Yes to the wild holiness of attention .

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Brad Montague's avatar

It means so much to me that you'd spotlight that part of the poem. Grateful.

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TMFritz. On The Human Spectrum's avatar

I really loved that line, moment in your poem too. And that line also reminds me of the story of a child saving a stranded jelly fish on the beach and the adult with them scolds them by saying that there are too many jellyfish to make a difference- and of course, to that one jellyfish- it’s a whole world of difference. And now, I can add- for that child too(!) and any of us who see an act of kindness, or even better- the wild holiness of attention. Thank you for a lovely moment as an end to my day:)

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Ryan Dunlap's avatar

I love that an act of creativity and kindness provided a haven of safety for King Slug. And that it highlights the importance of empathy because the original idea of torment shows what happens in its absence.

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Brad Montague's avatar

Yes! I didn’t include it in the above post, but her story reminded me of the Gwendolyn Brooks poem “Boy Breaking Glass”. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43322/boy-breaking-glass Thought you might appreciate it too!

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Brittany V.'s avatar

This poem really resonated with me. As a grown adult, I still stop and move worms off of our driveway whenever I see them. It also reminds me of this poem I heard for the first time as an audio clip on Instagram a couple of years ago.

https://commongood.cc/reader/may-we-raise-children-who-love-the-unloved-things/

So, here’s to being adults, and raising children who have empathy and care for the unloved things, such as the worms (and the slugs). Especially now. Most importantly now. 🩷

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Brad Montague's avatar

Brittany! thank you. Love this so much. Thank you for sharing the poem! There is something so simple yet profound about stopping to care for the ‘unloved things' and nurturing that kind of noticing in young hearts will only lead to wonderful places. That is empathy in its purest form. YES! Here is to being those adults and raising kids who keep that tenderness alive in the world. SO grateful for your words and your kindness.

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Kara's avatar

What a joy it is to have King Slug included in this beautiful and inspiring post. How amazing it is to have a place to go where such things as poems for worms and castles for slugs are celebrated!

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Brad Montague's avatar

THANK YOU! You're such a force for good in this world! Keep nurturing the lovely!

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Marc Joblin's avatar

Thank you for sharing! Love you, my friend!

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Brad Montague's avatar

Appreciate you, Marc!!!

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Kenda Hammer's avatar

Your poem and backstory capture the essence of child and human development. These words guide our collective attention for noticing, Brad. And how simply your poem reminds us of our connected actionable moments of reaching out to nurture and care.

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Brad Montague's avatar

Kenda, this really means so so so much to me. Thank you. I love how you put it: ‘connected actionable moments of reaching out to nurture and care.’ YES to sparking those! Those small, meaningful moments that remind us we’re all connected. So grateful for you and your thoughtful reflection and encouragement.

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Deb Fielding's avatar

We have a kid and her mum from Ukraine living with us and the first summer she was with us (when she was six and beginning to learn English) I referred to a fly or a bug as a friend. I was delighted when she began referring to all bugs as friends. ‘Oh, there is a friend on my tee-shirt. There is a friend on the path!’

Note: we live in the UK where there aren’t any dangerous bugs.

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Elizabeth's avatar

I love this perfect phrase, "the wild holiness of noticing." Thank you for noticing what is needed. By creating beauty and sharing where you find it, you make a difference and help others impact their sphere of influence as well.

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Kristen Lango's avatar

Every bit of this is pure gold😍 that poem ❤️❤️ thanks Brad for always putting the best of who we are into stories, images, and poems for us to take pleasure in!😊

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Kimberly Warner's avatar

King Slug prevails! Smiling bigger today because of your offering.

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Penny Brennan's avatar

Love this a how you demonstrate the simplicity of choosing kindness ✌️♥️🇺🇲

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Darren SC Soon's avatar

A salute to those who wrangle with the wigglies, who shimmy with the slippies.

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Emily Charlotte Powell's avatar

This is wonderful Brad, these letters and your wonderful poem are glowworms of encouragement and beauty that light up this place for us. I will never forget ‘We need you, hope punks’, and the impact it had on me to understand the power of rebellious hope. Thank you for another such, and all your encouragement in these days when it feels so scary and dark at times ✨💛

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