The Lobster's Lament

Beneath the waves where shadows play

I scuttled soft through silt and sway

I lived content, replete, alone

Resplendent on my coral throne

Until, one day, I cast my lot

By falling for the baited pot

Now I live in crowded tank

With restless shrimp and inky squid

At three-star Elmo's on Fisherman's Quay

Where you take your pick for thirty quid

Dreading the day when they point at me

And say.....that one!

To them I'm just a crimson prize

A thermidore of buttered thighs

I hide behind the pirate's treasure

Avoiding their stares, shunning their measure

Hoping on hope that they fancy the brie

Or the shepherd's pie...or anything but me

Oh, how I miss those carefree days

Avoiding the octopus's scary gaze

The vicious shark, the artful ray

The hungry grouper or judgement day

A baited pot from a hopeful lugger
Was all it took to cast my lot...bugger!