Celebrate National Poetry Month with us and enjoy a Poetry Per Diem each day for the month of April!
Today’s poem is from Robert Bly’s book of poems titled What Have I Ever Lost By Dying?
A Box Turtle
The orange stripes on his head shootforward into the
future. The turtle’s slim head stretches out, and it
pushes with all its might, caught now on the edge of
my palm. The claws—five on the front, four in back—
are curiously long and elegant, cold, curved, pale, like
a lieutenant’s sword. The yellow stripes on the neck
and head remind you of racing cars.
The bottom plate is a pale, washed-out rose color
from being dragged over the world. The imagination is
simplified there, without too much passion, business-
like—like the underside of a space ship.
This book can be found in the Island Free Library
collection, upstairs under call number 811.54 BLY.
Stay tuned for another poem tomorrow!