Living blissfully in a time of now
With non existent future and past
Languid strokes powerful, but slow
Turquoise water, ocean so vast
Seeking the sands from long ago
No respite, always on the move
Surfing waves, gliding with the flow
Steadily staying in the groove
Instinct driving her back to the sand
Where thousands of miles away
She had left her eggshell behind and
Reached for the ocean by the bay
Searching unconsciously for her roots
Leaving the comfortable life behind
To where mind and matter transduce
Purpose and dream are closely entwined
Magnetic waves commingle with tides
Internal maps, with accuracy unmatched
Leading relentless, acting as guides
To the beach where they were hatched
Seeking dry sand and a suitable place
The Honu begins a beguiling dance
Flippers beating at increasing pace
Digging the nest as if in a trance
Laying the eggs is priority one
With tears running down the beak
the Honu slows, is finally done
returns to the water spent and weak
Note: How the Honus find the beach where they were born
is still a mystery, but some researchers think that they
rely on Earth’s magnetic field.
-
Author:
Alfred Peyer (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: August 31st, 2017 03:29
- Comment from author about the poem: Turtles are one of the oldest creatures on earth. The Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, known as “Honu,” symbolizes good luck, endurance and long life. Turtles can show up as a person’s guardian spirit, known as “Aumakua.” Legend states that a green sea turtle guided the first Polynesian settlers to the islands. In historic days, only the Alii (Ruling Class) were allowed to consume turtles as food. In modern times, sea turtles are protected by the Endangered Species act and there are severe penalties just for giving them 'stinkeye'.
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 36
Offline)
Comments10
Such amazing creatures, noble and graceful. So often we see on our screens the poor little new hatchlings scurrying down to the water decimated by predation. Lovely reading Fred.
Thank you d a! It is estimated that only 1 in 1000 hatchlings makes it to adulthood, that is only 1/10th of 1 percent. But then, they do lay a lot of eggs.
Super write about a fabulous creature - err but had to google stinkeye - now a wiser man.
Thanks, Michael!
And here is the urban dictionary explanation for stink eye:
- a surfer term meaning a glare or lingering dirty look
(when that dude stole my wave I gave him total stink eye)
- The Hawaiian pidgin term for a hard, scornful glare.
(I not doin' anykine when some lolo turn an give me stink eye cuz he like beef. English translation: I wasn't doing anything when some fool turned and gave me a hard look because he wanted to fight.)
Turtles are amazing creatures, your words do them a great tribute,
Thank you Goldfinch. I love to watch them.
They are amazing creatures and we must fix our mistakes so animals like them don't have to pay for it.
Thanks, poetboy, you are right. People don't think that trash they throw into the ocean can be deadly for many of the ocean's inhabitants.
Indeed, and soon with climate change the acidity in the ocean will rise and there will be a mass extinction of many aquatic species. I mean, at least 150 species of organisms are killed each day, yet I doubt we will care until the above mentioned occurs.
This is an amazing piece of poetry and is a testament of the sea turtles will to survive. Thanks for writing about these wonderful creatures. Wonderful!
Thank you so much Christina, the turtles deserve the attention!
If Honus can read, they will give you a kiss for such a beautiful poem.
Thanks M&M, but I stay away from that beak! That kiss could hurt a lot!
I adore sea turtles! Though, I've never gotten to see one up-close. Only through the tanks at the aquarium. Really loved this poem, it took me into the life of the sea turtle. Great job!
Thank you so much for your comment!
You're very welcome!
Beautiful poem Fred. I enjoyed reading very much. I've tried to google to see the bird but they gave me too many examples. They might have a different name here.
After sending my comments I went back and saw that they not birds but turtles. Sorry for my mistake.
No problem, Malu, thank you for reading and your nice comment!
Last year, I visited our sea turtle rescue and rehab in the Outer Banks. Amazing creatures. Lovely write, worthy muse.
Thanks so much Heather, for reading and commenting. They are amazing creatures, no doubt. I love to watch them, but they are not easy to spot.
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