Aqua Buds by: Ariana Echevarria, Gouache, 2018
Just visible under the water
hitching a ride on the side of a hull
protecting their flesh with an armor
of calcite, cousin of chalk and marble
the hard and weathered ugly brother
of sparkling clear Iceland crystal.
They jump
pulling themselves back inside
to mottled gray safety
a cascade of preservation,
a chorus of pre-emptive self-defense
from the swoosh of the stick
being dragged through the water
by a little, curious hand.