Lobster Tank

November 7, 2026

A short, funny, blue-lit moment in the seafood aisle — about eye contact, existential dread, and toaster waffles.

Those lobsters watched me too directly
through bubbling seafood prison walls.

One waved a claw dramatically
like demanding legal representation.

I suddenly felt emotionally responsible
for creatures I never planned to buy.

The tank glowed blue with strange sadness
between avocados and frozen peas.

Why do grocery stores casually display
underwater existential dread?

One lobster blinked with ancient wisdom
while I bought toaster waffles nearby.

And honestly? I avoid eye contact
with the seafood section now.

One waved a claw dramatically
like demanding legal representation.

Poem by Kiana Jimenez · Poetic Bipolar Mind

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Still Standing, Still Rising: “The Thing I Am When I Rise” — Substack Issue #3

October asks harder questions than the summer did. Issue #3 of the Poetic Bipolar Mind Substack, “The Thing I Am When I Rise,” is Kiana Jimenez writing through the season anyway — a reflection on the mind’s old negotiations with the dark, and a poem written just for the issue about being the storm and…
For the Small Hours: “What the Night Keeps” — Substack Issue #2

Most people surrender the small hours. Issue #2 of the Poetic Bipolar Mind Substack, “What the Night Keeps,” was written for the ones who can’t — the minds that won’t rest, counting the hours like old wounds while the house sleeps. It pairs a short reflection on belonging to the night with a poem written…
Where It All Began: “Where Darkness Learns to Speak” — Substack Issue #1

Before the books, before the website, there was a blog called Temperamental Mental Soup — anonymous, because she wasn’t ready to be seen yet. Issue #1 of the Poetic Bipolar Mind Substack, “Where Darkness Learns to Speak,” is where Kiana Jimenez tells that story out loud: how a hidden blog became Poetic Bipolar Mind, and…

Poetic Bipolar Mind