The Lobster Rhyme redux

A light-hearted poem about that incredible, edible crustacean the lobster.

Beneath the depths under the deep

of this Atlantic Ocean

live the lobsters that crawl and creep

with an articulated motion.

 

They thrive on the ocean’s sea floor,

from the sloping shoreline

to beyond the Great Shelf and more

where the sea reeks of brine.

 

They live and hide in crevices

and burrows under rocks,

snug amidst the interstices,

safe like a shepherd’s flocks.

 

Their diet is omnivorous:

live prey such as fish, worms,

crustaceans, mollusks, and…us!

(Ughh!! that last one makes us squirm.)

 

Stories of their longevity

are passed on more often than not;

some live to be seventy

years old when finally caught.

 

Long-bodied, with muscular tails,

ten walking legs (three pairs

of which are claws), framed in hard shells,

they can look like bugbears

 

and weigh as much as forty pounds

or more! A lobster this huge

naturally dumbfounds and astounds

like some hoax or a subterfuge.

 

Believe it or not, back before

the mid-nineteenth century

lobster was a food for the poor--

a mark of want and penury.

 

Indeed, inmates disliked lobster

so much they ate it with distaste;

even a dignified mobster

could not eat it with a straight face!

 

It seems our ancestor’s distaste

for this invertebrate

was in error and was misplaced--

much to their discredit.

 

People today enjoy this beast

in several, delicious ways

alone or together in a feast

as part of festive holidays.

 

When boiled or steamed live, they change

color within minutes

of cooking from blue to deep-orange--

ah!...the meat’s now exquisite!!

 

Enjoy it as “Lobster Newberg,”

a seafood dish du jour

cooked up by Captain Ben Wenberg!

Or as “Lobster Thermidor,”

 

a French seafood dish of creamy

blend of cooked lobster meat,

egg yolks, (often) cognac, brandy,

and Gruyére--a culinary feat!

 

Then there’s lobster soup and rolls,

a thick cream soup of bisque,

or Capon magro--salad bowls

for your gastric pleasure and risk!

 

Lobster du jour or lobster you want,

whatever your palate requires

any New England restaurant

can fulfill your dining desires!

 

Lobsters are indeed a great food;

we fish, sell, buy and eat to such

large amounts: but we’d be unshrewd

if we eat and fish them too much.