Crab in a Tide-pool

Like a crab in a tide-pool

of some unnamed rugged sea-weed lichen coast

that is how so many souls live their dear lives

Once swelled in with the flood

into a little cavity between old old rocks

they move in circles and feed on anything that came with them

or was waiting in that shady offside pit already

and they hide quickly when a shadow passes over

cautious of the predator birds in the sky

While the water evaporates slowly and the level lowers

and til some day with some luck

a wave is strong and willing again

to take them and wash them into the sea once more

unless a gull was smarter first

But see dear soul:

a crab can go over land!

Even if there is some necessary exposure

to a before and behind and an above and below

Look close: it moves sideways!