Blue

Remember me as blue
swimming in the ocean
feasting on molluscs and sea urchins,
the turning tides my life’s rhythm,
zooplankton my community.

I have shed my exoskeleton for the last time
and now lie on a blue edged dish
surrounded by fruits
ripe for eating. But I do not belong here
amongst dead flesh and orchard fruits.

Remember me not as a delicacy
but as sentient being
with dreams of my own
a muddy ocean floor beneath my feet,
the scent of faraway places.

Remember me as I was
before potted and drawn from my home,
claws secured, boiled, plated
and arranged like an exhibit in a painting.
Remember me as blue.