Bully of the Tide
I’m a low-down, dirty lobster, bully of the tide.
You’d better keep your head down. You’d better run and hide.
Check out my huge thorax. Have you ever seen such claws?
I nosh on crabs and starfish. Clams I like to gnaw.
I hunt my food at nighttime. I like to dine alone.
I’ll nibble on your babies. I’ll eat you when full-grown.
I’m a low-down, dirty lobster, bully of the tide.
You’d better keep your head down. You’d better run and hide.
I’m a low-down, dirty lobster, bully of the tide.
You’d better run for cover, unless you want to die.
I’ll crunch you when you’re living. I’ll scavenge your remains.
I’ll suck up all your juices. I’ll pick apart your brains.
I’m not big into veggies. Call me carnivore.
I find the meat I want to eat. It’s all along the shore.
I’m a low-down, dirty lobster, bully of the tide.
You better keep your head down. You better run and hide.
Copyright © 2010 Steve Swinburne. From the book Ocean Soup: Tide-Pool Poems. Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc. Reprinted by permission of the author.
About this Poem
Here’s a link for the behind-the-scenes of Ocean Soup-Tide Pool Poems:
http://charlesbridge.blogspot.com/2010/03/recipe-for-ocean-soup.html
Watch this Poem
About the Author
Steve Swinburne is the author of over 25 children’s books, mostly nonfiction. He’s had many jobs in his life: newspaper delivery boy, dishwasher, busboy, waiter, pizza maker, truck driver, drummer in a rock band, park ranger, boat captain, office worker. He’s quite happy now (thank you very much) writing children’s books and will keep that job. He took a break from writing about manatees, wolves and black bears to write his first novel, Wiff & Dirty George. Steve is very excited about this novel and hardly knows what to do. He lives with his wife, Heather, in South Londonderry, Vermont. Visit Steve at his website www.steveswinburne.com
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