The short poem which lends its title to this book opens with this striking image: Like snails in our shells, we travel best over trails of our own slime. Coming out of his shell, physician-poet Eric Cheng humbly offers this collection of poetry which represents the best of his own slime. His themes are charged with life - ranging from the contemplative and creative to the workaday and humorous. Each poem invites the reader to slow down and appreciate the poignant details of life's passing moments. The poems in this volume are loosely grouped into eight sections, each bracketed by a pair of terms which circumscribe a domain of life experience. These vital dualities include: work & rest, nature & nurture, foreign & domestic, fingers & toes, faith & doubt, visions & revisions, sense & sensibility, and sorrow & celebration. Eric Cheng moves easily between traditional verse forms and free verse. His keen sensitivity to the music of words and subtle shades of meaning enhances the internal reflections within each subject. The result? Succinct poems which sparkle brilliantly from every angle. "A Snail's Pace defies its modest title to run the gamut of emotions and personal experiences of a passionate physician, husband, father, and keen observer of human nature. Eric Cheng's empathic collection of poetry will strike a chord in readers from all walks of life. Moving but not overly sentimental, these poems display the author's love of language, respect for healing in all its forms, and depth of faith in a God who is ever-present through it all." - Kenny Lin, MD, associate medical editor of American Family Physician, "Healthcare Headaches" blogger for U.S. News & World Report, and Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at Georgetown University