Snips and Snails

There is a 19th century nursery rhyme attributed to the English poet

Robert Southey**

that goes "What are little boys made of, made of? 

Snips and snails and puppy-dog tails...."

The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning of "snips"

as little odds and ends, bits and pieces of things.

The citation from 1624 quotes  R. Montagu as writing: 

"I like not that the ancient Fathers are sent away...like schoole-boys with snips."

It seems elders didn't get much respect in the 17th century either. 

I thought of the snips and snails line

when I walked down to the pier along the Elizabeth River last week.

Here's why I thought of the rhyme:

All the little white spots on the gray rip-rap are some kind of river snail.

Here's a closer view:

Since I'm made of sugar and spice and everything nice,

I don't find the sight of snails stuck to rocks very appealing.

But I'd rather see these mollusks 

than the glossy brown palmetto bugs--big enough to saddle-- 

that usually scurry across these rocks.

Snips and snails and palmetto-bug-tails aside,

this part of the Elizabeth River channel  is peaceful most of the time.

On sunny weekdays, it's a good place to watch tug boats

slowly push barges north to the shipyards,

or to see the moonlight reflected in the water on clear nights.

That's the everything nice part.

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**http://www.delamar.org/mgs-long_folksmadeof.html