Like a hermit

Emerging -

Blinking slit-eyed -

Into the light,

He shrugs off

The constrictions

And confines

Of the old shell.

The carapace discarded

In abandon

And relief,

He takes a step.

Suddenly vulnerable,

He moves, exposed

And observed

By the snappers.

Girt by reflections;

Ripples

Of the past

And views yet to come;

Memory jolts.

Seeking camouflage

In interweaving weeds,

He pursues his intent.

He up-sizes

To measure up

To exoskeletal

Necessity.

Like a hermit

He merges -

Blinking and wide-eyed -

With his new surroundings.