(#9) Mother Turtle

The stars bow before the moon,
They dare not glitter as brightly
When the pale yellow pearl emerges from the clouds
Pouring light onto the waters
A path to shore,
Where crashing waves arrive and back down-
The sea worships the sand.

In the tranquility of the cold air,
She rolled out her own majestic carpet in the sand
And began to build a temple for her kind.

Forty eyes peeled the shadows
(Forty eyes sacrificing forty winks.)
Standing in a distance,
In reverence,
The night sky solemn and patient.
The sound of the frothy waves cloak our whisper.

The difference was apparent-
The moon replaced the one bright star,
The sand replaced the stable,
And the wise men and shepherds
Grew into a long line of mortals.
We watched her lay
A hundred and nineteen.
We had no gifts to offer them but
Protection and shelter from harm.

The moonlight painted
The markings on the measuring tapes
Pulled gently over her majestic green shell.
She does not notice all this.
For her soul meditates far up with the stars
Until her treasure was buried away.

When it was all good,
She ambled to the sea which split
As the waves began to swallow her back.
She disappeared into the black waters.

The beach is her kingdom and birthplace-
She will return again.


For the endangered turtle that put in so much effort,
Thank you for inspiring me.