Sea Turtles

“Sea Turtles”

It was told to me that a red sky in the morning

Was a caution to sailors. The cool-scarlet glow

Of the sunlight that would burn away the morning

haze like a fierce sea witch gave reprieve to those

Sensible many who opted to stay in the safety of the

Harbor, sitting still as the green and brown crest

Of sea turtles shattered the glass-smooth waves

As they journeyed into what those on dry land

feared.

I read of them, too,

The fabled beast of ocean and brine

Who carried, according to the ancient

People, the globe on its back, oblivious

To the tremendous weight of a planet of

Constant movement, unafraid, it would seem

Of sharks, regrets, and the infinite depth and uncertainty

Of the salt water.

Here, too, the weight of a planet and of the latter days

Of a terrible century and pulled, yanked with

Insistence and, pulled loose, only

Growing taut again through inconsolable tears.

Yet we survive by resilience,

We survive by pushing against the current of

Deep water. By aspiring to carry what must be carried, with the

Empathy to find balance,and the curiosity to move towards

The red-mellow sunrise rippling across the surface

Of the morning sea.