The Different Shrimp
Out in the ocean, far from shore
Shrimp cover the ocean floor
Shifting around, crawling and teeming
Of all those shrimp in that shrimpy fest
There is one, different than the rest
He drifts around laughing and dreaming
He’s not the same as other shrimp
One leg is lame, so he walks with a limp
His left eye is bigger than his right
He drools beneath
His crooked teeth
Others can’t sleep because he glows at night
He has a birthmark that looks like a bruise
He makes squishy sounds whenever he chews
He has messy hair and never does what he should
Swimming through water, he’ll twitch and flail
Like a fly swatter, there are holes in his tail
He doesn’t care, his life is good
Then one afternoon
Came a fishing pontoon
As the shrimp swam in a group
Fishermen, with a fishing net
Scooped all the shrimp that they could get
With one large fisherman scoop
In one long sweeping motion
The shrimp were pulled from the ocean
Then brought afloat to inspect.
Those Fishermen sifted through
To make sure each shrimp would do
Each shrimp on that boat was checked
They had to be fit, neat and full of meat
So that each one was good to eat
They must look like a shrimp should look
The same shrimps from the same catch
Usually looked the same, they’d usually match
They’re usually good to cook
They approved each shrimp, one by one
Then, when they were almost done
They reached the bottom of the pile
Sitting there, crooked and green
Was the oddest shrimp, they’d ever seen
Looking at them, with a big, wide smile
The perfect shrimp, they were all seized
They made those fishermen very pleased
But the odd shrimp wasn’t the same
He was different, he was weird
And being weird is what fishermen feared
So they threw him back from where he came
Back in the ocean, no longer caught
He happily swam to his happy spot
Being himself, living his way
Being odd, being a freak
Being special, being unique
Saved his life that day.