I Saw a Ghost (Crab)!

Ghost Crabs on the Go

Dark blue ocean fading into blue southern skies, puffy clouds of white,

I’ve been to the ocean dozens of times, but had never seen this sight:

Scurrying across the sand along the shoreline with effortless vim,

An abundance of ghost crabs! There were so many of them,

With the beige sand in the foreground, sun reflecting off each grain,

Each ebbing wave brought a flurry of activity; our excitement we couldn’t contain,

The ocean waves came and went repeatedly, and each time so did these tiny creatures,

They darted into holes in the sand.  It was hard to get a look at their features,

We decided to catch one to have a better look,

Yet not so easy a task; our agility we mistook,

These crabs were fast; faster than you might think,

After all they have 10 legs, and they are gone in just a blink,

Also, named “ghost” because their coloring blends in with the sand,

Ultimately, my youngest son held one in his hand,

These tiny crawlers were fun to watch and gave us so much joy,

Ghost crabs on-the-go, amused us like a shiny new toy,

Gliding side-to-side and hiding in a quick second, indeed,

No need to try and dig them out, we could never succeed,

That afternoon at the ocean was truly a memorable one,

Family fun on a sandy beach, basking in the sun!

Ghost crabs running here and there,

More days like this, is my prayer.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  8/10/2019