Oysters
you and me
Oysters require some
Pressure and patience to pop
Surprise sediment
___________________________
I’ve been shucking oysters for a living at least five days a week for the past year and seven months. I’ve smelled the sulfuric stench off plenty of bad ones, experienced the variety of dense or spongey textures of the shell, shucked myself a few times that thankfully did not lead to infection, tasted the salt and freshness of the sea, and witnessed the wild beauty of the striations on both the outside and inside that make each oyster unique.
I was disappointed one time when a customer found a black pearl inside their oyster, because it meant I completely missed the opportunity to find it myself and keep it. And yes, I have found a few that were full of nothing but ocean dirt…some of them completely empty too.
I’ve become the fastest oyster shucker in the building. I often wonder how far I’d go if I entered an oyster shucking competition. My Chef jumps at the chance to shuck them. He wants to gain more experience with them so he can try to beat me in a race and win. Ha!
Thank you for reading!
If you enjoyed this one, perhaps you’d like this:
About the Creator
Allie Bickerton
She / Her - Canada
I spent most of my life immersed in visual arts and I neglected my literacy.
Nurturing harboured emotions and poetic thoughts I’ve stashed within.
Thank you for being here! 💕
Keep reading
More stories from Allie Bickerton and writers in Poets and other communities.
Final Call
She flings her arms around my neck and squeezes me like she’s never going to let me go. My head spins as her lips brush against my cheek. She must be able to feel my heart thumping in my chest. I shuffle backwards and ram my hands into my coat pockets, watching her reach down and heave the rucksack across her shoulders.
By Caroline Craven4 days ago in Fiction
Comments (1)
No wonder you were drawn to my painting of the sea, the ocean flows within and gives you inspiration. I love oysters too! Keep your poetica in motion.