I stuck a spoon in a bowl
full of boiled shrimp
It was an unexpectedly contradictory sensation
They felt heavy with individual life
Heavier than their size
But light, as a meal, considering how many we would eat
and how many I could fit in my big metal spoon
They were hard and soft
I could hear it as they fell back into the bowl
Their shells clicked together like nails
But they thud too
Like something with give
click click click
thud
life life life
death
hard and soft
Protected and vulnerable
it made me uncomfortable
They were creepy
and delicious
I thought about each of their little lives
About how similar they are to bugs
And I kept hearing their clickity clack falling sound
and the way they moved like corpse cereal in the bowl
Too heavy for their size
Too soft under their shells
How strange they looked
But I still ate them
Peeled the shells off each one
Using the little tiny legs like a loose tape edge
and then tearing off their protective outer layer
in a spiral
leaving them exposed
And dipping them in cocktail sauce
They were really good
And they each died because I felt like it
Somehow we still believe sharks are scary