family—armadillidiidae

roly polies are the only crustaceans that have learned to survive on land.

a family on a land rehearses
“i’m doing fine” again and again
until the words fall like wood chips on a
concrete floor

where are the crustaceans?

a grandmother on another land grinds
spices and grains and foods she hopes will last and
ships it to a family
a family opens the box and cries,
scoops out the mold.

how does the roly poly identify itself? does it remember the salt?

a girl opens her lunch box at school and
the other kids turn away their
faces wilted like a
fist.
girl doesn’t notice, swallows salt whole.

a roly poly’s key defense mechanism is called conglobation. the exoskeleton is hard.

a family works on a land for most of the day
their exoskeletons uncrackable
the joints have stiffened too
the back does not know
straight
a family lives a
rounded
life hiding secrets in their bellies
they move slow
dripping salt from their tongues

a family of roly polies feels a vibration
recoils
tastes salt in the dark.

Juhee Lee is a Korean-American writer/human based everywhere and nowhere. Her poetry has been featured on Button Poetry and Wax Nine Journal. She is largely inspired to write when struck by nostalgia, nature, and plenty of coffee.