Crab Season
I read my horoscope this morning.
It felt like a new pair of pajamas
I could slip into, crisp and silky,
Telling me it's okay to lay in bed
To drift to sleep, because I have always
Been what I am, sheets fit to my body,
Cocoon of self in words that curve
Around the central fact of me:
Stand up to Your Self, for Your Self --
Oh Cancer, soft shell with claws,
Side-stepping to the beat of your
Dream waltz,
Collecting seaweed to cover your back,
Pressure of the whole ocean softened
By the sway,
When I am ready
To wake up, to live out the day,
I will dress myself in something sturdier
But leave the silk pajamas
To be read again when I need them, to
Walk around the house in my robe
Exclaiming to the mirror
Christie Flemming