Shrimp with a Ramrod Back - June 15, 2024

the straight back didn’t hurt

though others felt sorry for him

he swam like a fish without a tail

or a very fat seahorse

dating was difficult  cuddling impossible

children out of the question

his back was so straight that every time

he was netted they’d throw him back

humans couldn’t use a shrimp that

wouldn’t cling to the edge of a cocktail glass

he outlived those he grew up with

and often wondered which was worse

the agony of solitude or a stir-fry death

a slow cold demise or a hot quick exit

he tried to imagine what it would

be like on a bed of rice  surrounded by

hungry smiles and the tinkle of silverware

then entering a mouth

engaged in the ecstasy

of conversation