The Hermit Crab Poem by Raihana Abdul Jabbar

I was a hermit crab,
Dwelt in a smooth, contoured, blue shell.
I hid beneath the curtain of the dark green sea-weeds.
I thought about the lively colours of the coral reefs
But I never dared to venture to the deep blue ocean.
What if I be so ugly among the beautiful marine fauna?
What if I couldn't make a niche of my own?
Or got eaten up by a hungry shark?
'Guide me! ', I prayed to the Master of hissing waves.
One stormy night, the currents and surf washed me ashore.
I could feel the grainy sand, the salty air.
The humming of the raging sea, a lullaby for my ears.
I woke up to find a screen of gold,
And went to sleep again,
Heaven welcomed me,
With a message so merry,
I had become a fossil in a piece of amber,
And will be remembered through all times to come.