He was rescued from the seafood section at a grocery store and raised by a doting father who shared the whole story on YouTube.
When Leon died, I was just about to board a flight. 6 hours later, I had a draft and the curiosity of my seat mates.
Here is the plain text.
What’s in a name?
There once was a lobster named Leon
But he wasn’t called that until later on
He came from the ocean as all lobsters do
And ended up in a supermarket next to other seafood
“Seafood?" he cried as he looked at the sign.
“But where is the ocean, my brothers, and all that’s mine?”
As he longed to be back with his friends in the brine.
The other shellfish looked at him sort of sadly
“You might not see them again, but they surely miss you madly”
The poor lobster gulped, as he stared at the others
“Without my own family, are you all now my brothers?”
The other fish roared with their teeth flashing wide
“Oh no, no,” that one said, “we’re not on the same side”
“When a hand reaches down from above, we all duck
Then one more leaves the tank, and we wish them good luck”
He thought, “what a fate, this is not good for me.
Who will the hand take next? I will see”
Just then he spied a kind face drawing near
It was a gentle-looking man with glasses and a beard.
The man crinkled a smile and pointed at him
Then came the hand, he felt his chances were slim
He turned to the others and looked brave as could be
He just thought and he thought I want to be free!
And all that he knew for the next ten long minutes
Was darkness and silence and a fear of no limits
The kind older man took him home to his place
And once they were there, his heart started to race
He saw the man come near, scissors in his hands
With a snip, he freed the lobster’s claws of their rubber bands.
“I built you a home, and it’s one just for you”
"We can fill it with rocks and kelp and all the things you like to do”
The lobster didn’t know what to say back to the man
Who was filling the tank, starting with sand
He added water next, and the lobster took a sigh of relief
The salty sea smell reminded him of a long-ago reef
The man helped him into the tank, where he shot under a rock
“I know I can trust you” said he, “but I’m having a bit of shock”
Days passed, and the lobster’s confidence began to show
He shed his scarred claws, and new ones began to grow
One day while the man did his tank cleaning chores
He said “You need a name, one that feels truly yours”
That night the lobster thought, and he thought some more
He realized his pacing made patterns all along the seafloor
Then in the morning, the lights all came on
“What does that say,” the man said, “Did you write out L-E-O-N?”
The lobster looked around, and saw that his pacing
Had left a lot more than simply some tracing
All over the floor were swirls and lines but in the middle section
He saw a name he knew to be his own selection
Leon was so happy, he did a little sweep
And every night thereafter, before he fell asleep…
He took extra time to spell out his name
So he’d never forget who he was, not now, not never again.
🦞
