Brackish-water Crab

There is a type of crab
that lives in brackish-water
along intertidal mud flats,
lagoons,
and swamps
that made me think of you today
as I read with interest
of its inability to exist
in either fresh or salt-water
for any extended time.

The males have one claw
that is out of balance
and much larger than the other
and can be regrown if damaged or lost.
It lives in hardened shells,
eats sediment,
and engages in senseless combat
for female attention.









Nancy Jo Cegla was born and raised in south Minneapolis, and lives in Wisconsin where she owned and operated small businesses for many years. She holds an MFA in Writing (playwriting) from Spalding University-Louisville, Kentucky, and her plays have received readings at both the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis, and the Actors Theatre of Louisville in Kentucky. She won first place in the 2007, Metroversity Kentuckian Fiction Writing Contest. Two examples of Nancy’s work in both poetry and short fiction appear in Well Versed Literary Journal, 2015 edition.