Claws

I had a dream the other night
- no normal dream was this
No demons or plunging lifts
Nor Michelle Pfeiffer's Kiss.

The dream was of a crustacean
Who lived within the sea.
A large blue shell lobster
Who sought friendship with me.

We had a fulsome conversation
And opinions it had a lot.
When suddenly it shot upwards
A passenger in a wicker pot.

I regretted not saying au revoir
But we met again that day
It was around lunchtime
And it was on display.

It nodded to me and then
Very quietly said
Do me a big favour please - 
Order steak today instead.

I couldn't contemplate its death
No plunge in boiling water
After all it may well be
Some lobster's son or daughter.

I ate a plate of steak and chips
Not what I would wish
But had I enjoyed lobster
I would have felt shellfish.

October 2003