Cancer

I’ve never thought of you as a crab.

Perhaps an otter,
sleek and affectionate,
or an owl,
peering wisely over your glasses
at a riddle or a puzzle.

I think actually you may be like an ant.
Please don’t be offended!
Let me explain.

Ants are incredibly strong for their size.
They always seem to be working,
scurrying, going somewhere
or carrying something.
You carried us many times.

Busily striving for a far wider colony.
Serving, helping, connecting.
You are always connecting.
Always know whose birthday
is when, who’s doing well,
who’s sick.

No surprise then
that so many connections
go both ways.
So many anxious, heartfelt messages
from across your colony, our colony.

But of course,
the ant is not a symbol of the zodiac.
So was crab inevitable?

You still have an ant’s strength.
No crab will beat you.
You will beat it.
Your colony is with you.

Options

‘A nice problem to have’
1
‘A selection headache’
2
Pure fancy at this stage
3
too soon
to know
and yet
we can’t
but imagine

Each one
comes to us
in mind, where we’re free
to choose, and swap, for:
no harm can come
no hurt wrought
from idle musings
on so many people
we could or could not
love

 

[just found this in my drafts.—it’s a few years old, and definitely not about anyone]