- Like an oyster, hiding for too long -

A soft bodied being,
you stood there, hiding.
Embracing algae,
- water-borne affection -
whose caresses you depended on.

And you let the waves rule,
voraciously taking in,
without filtering,
oceans of feelings,
good and bad.

But a three-chambered heart
that pumps colorless blood
needs bright love
and fears deep hurt.

Some would come to you,
wanting to possess
the luminous pearl
that grows inside.

Doesn't it hurt to know
that you are worth nothing,
only considered
for a tiny piece of you
that shines?

Still, I came to look for you
- on a reef -
ready to lose myself
in thousands of convolutions,
in the complex labyrinth
of your need for security.

I wasn't looking for a treasure,
I wasn't hungry for a delicacy,
I just wanted to be near you.
I guess fear did not allow you
to feel-think-love.

One day overcautious,
the next, pushed by the tides,
you ended up lying,
finally exposed.

A greedy shorebird
inserted its flattened bill
between your shells,
severed the adductor muscle
and took your life.


In a second, you became meat,
for you never had the guts
to choose.