CRAB (Poem by Arun Kolatkar) TEXT

                              CRAB
                                      - Arun Kolatkar

Look, look
Just look at them.
The crabs
There are two of them.

They’re keeping watch.
On whom, you ask?
On you of course,
who else?

See how they’re looking?
Looking at you,
naturally.
And you’ll never catch them blink either.

One on this side.
One on the other.
At an angle of a hundred and sixty degrees
to your left and to your right.

They’re going to eat your eyes.
That scare you?
It needn’t, you know.
It’s not as if they’re going to start eating right away.

No. But one of these days.
Tomorrow? Who knows?
If not tomorrow, then the day after.

Or ten years from now, who can tell?

They’re in no hurry.
They have plenty of time.
And they can live without food
for a long time, you know.

Look this way,
quick.
Don’t turn your head.
Just move your eyeballs.

Do you see a crab there?
Not the whole crab, may be,
not yet,
but you did see something move?

Now look the other way.
No, no. Not the whole head.
 Just move your eyeballs
like I said.

All you can see for now
Is just the pincers may be,
But you’ll see,
You’ll see the whole crab yet.

And you’ll see it clearly.
They’re only doing their job of course,
but patience
is one thing you should learn from them.

The crabs belong to you,
and to you alone.
They  have no interest in eating
somebody else’s eyes.

They came out of your head.
Where else did you think they came from?
But how they’ve grown.
Look at them now,

Big fat crabs.
They’ve been playing a waiting game
ever since they emerged
from your head.

They’ll come for your eyes
any time you say.
Sometimes I think they’re just waiting
for your permission.

All you have to do is give the word.
And once they’ve eaten your eyes,
their job is done.
You’ll never see them again.