Crawfish Hiding At The Bottom Of A Spring Stream Poem by Raj Dronamraju

Melting Maryland snow feeds trickling timid stream
Noisily slapping stones as the furrow is replowed
Sun glints on the water's reflective state at unpredictable intervals
And what is underneath is visible only in glimpses

Crayfish moving backwards clinging to rocks, hiding under rocks
Dark brown blotch between the mini-rapids and the sun
I reach numbing flesh into the cold water
And I pick up one of the crayfish between thumb and forefinger

Watch it ball up, claws snap into the chilly blue air
Wet chitinous ridges brush against sensitive fingertips
Back in the water, the crayfish swims against the tide

Pebbles bring sadness, tear up temporary landscapes
The sun makes me feel hot inside of cold
My shell is as poor a defense as the crayfish's