Sometimes things come too easily.
Turtles, quicker than their reputation,
proved elusive in that summer lake,
swiftly sliding from their sun spots
when I rowed closer to capture them
or flash diving deep when I turned
to catch them catching their breath –
leaving only a bubble trail behind.
hidden when they could no longer see.
I gathered them, still as stones – 1, 2, 3.
By the third one, turtles had lost their charm,
and my mind turned to slippery frogs,
leaping, leaping just beyond my reach.
Easy Pickings
Turtles, quicker than their reputation,
proved elusive in that summer lake,
swiftly sliding from their sun spots
when I rowed closer to capture them
or flash diving deep when I turned
to catch them catching their breath –
leaving only a bubble trail behind.
But in the muddy creek that fed that lake,
they turned half-ostrich, confident they werehidden when they could no longer see.
I gathered them, still as stones – 1, 2, 3.
By the third one, turtles had lost their charm,
and my mind turned to slippery frogs,
leaping, leaping just beyond my reach.
