Poems, Tales and Images
Competition 2001 Winner

Artist Name:
Stacy Spaulding

Grade: 11th

School:
Hammond High School, Columbia, Maryland

Country: USA

Title: Flip It

Date of Work: 2001

Medium: Poem


Flip It

Tossing, tumbling, turning,
In the salty spray.
The waves are roughly churning,
as the horseshoe crab makes its way.

Crawling to the sandy beach,
in the quickly approaching dawn,
the horseshoe crabs go to meet,
for their yearly spawn.

Like a tiger crouched behind its prey,
the wave prepares for its attack.
It reaches for its first victim of the day,
and flips the crab on its back.

Stranded in the hot sun,
with its legs waving in the air,
the crab tries unsuccessfully to run,
and hopes help will soon be there.

The fate of this crab lies in your hands,
will you go flip it over,
or leave it to die in the sand?