Shelled

It's funny to think how a crust forms
Out of the same insides
To bake

Also crusted
Purely from extraneous environmental debris
And then a purposeful
Crusting

More than a dusting
A caking
That hardens or becomes
The outermost shelling

It is funny when that happens
To people
In similar ways
And when people say they feel
Crusty

They are usually referring to a feeling
That requires a breaking
Of crust

Or a shaking off
But never the accumulation
As barnacle
Or rock lobster

Eyes all cloudy
But still sharp
Infused with instinct
And salt
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8.27.12