crab time

the crab
feast is outside on ten
large picnic tables.
there's little cups of vinegar
and butter spread about,
hammers and pliers,
napkins stacked on the spread
newspapers,
and beer. tubs of beer.
the crabs are covered
in a sand seasoning, steaming
in piles
on each table. gritty and red.
it's a frenzy of eating.
fingers bleeding, picking out
the white morsels
of the dead crustaceans.
six hours later,
exhausted, everyone gets
up to rinse their hands
and arms
with bottled water, bandage
up the cuts,
then they
to go out to eat.