Shrimp Salad

Prawns or shrimp? The cat likes them
either way. We find him on the counter
with a large piece of red onion
& a lettuce leaf in his mouth, a sudden
fan of salads. The cat is a true eccentric
& quite sure he is a dog, while
the dog of course thinks she is
a human. And we humans are the most
curious of all: we believe
we are what we eat, though it’s seldom
that we’re present for the eating.
If we eat a salad, we’re already looking
forward to the dessert. Omnivores,
dwellers in the benthic zone, we have
an unusual tolerance for toxins.
Our strongest muscles pull us rapidly
away from wherever we happen
to find ourselves, which we watch
recede into something no larger
than a shrimp.

2 Replies to “Shrimp Salad”

  1. While looking up “benthic zone” and travelling the associated places it led to I came across many interesting words chief among which was “detritivore”.

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