A single crab escapes the pot
Where several would be doomed;
The fate of one becomes the lot -
Boiled and consumed.
They tug and tear each other down
Dividing limb from limb
As each attempt to scramble out
Will pull another in.
But humans are a clever lot
(Though some, we may have doubts)
For when we fall into the pot
We help each other out.
Spineless as a decapod;
The ones who got ahead,
When scrambling up the ladder, trod
Upon another’s head.