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The Ballad of the Endless Shell An Epic Poem of Turtles In the age when the world was newborn and bright, Before sword or sorrow or firelight, The Earth did stir with a breath so wide, And turtles rose from the ocean's tide. Old as mountains, calm as stone, They bore the sky on backs alone. With shells like shields from time and fear, They moved through ages slow and clear. Canto I: The First Journey From coral palaces deep and green, Where Neptune’s whispers can't be seen, The eldest turtle, Grandmother Shell, Heard the songs that stars would tell. She gathered her kin with patient eyes, And said, “The land beyond the sunrise Holds sacred soil and stories lost— We must bear them, no matter the cost.” Through whirlpool wrath and storm-swept blue, The turtle host, so brave and true, Swam with silence, swam with grace, With the ocean's pulse their measured pace. Canto II: The War of Claws and Fire But lo! Upon a smoking shore, Where thunder cracked and eagles soar, The lizards came with teeth and flame— And mocked the turtles’ peaceful name. “Slow-footed fools!” they cried with might, “Your time has passed—flee from our sight!” But turtles, though not built for war, Stood firm upon the ashen shore. With shells turned bright by morning’s gleam, They formed a wall, a flowing stream Of patient strength and ancient will— And silence made the world go still. Then lightning clashed and torrents bled, But not a single turtle fled. The lizards roared but could not break The slow and steady tidal wake. Canto III: The Wisdom of the Shell When peace returned like dawn to sea, The turtles built a sacred tree. Its roots grew deep in molten ground, Its leaves could catch the sky’s own sound. There sages came from far and wide To speak with those whose hearts were tied To deeper time, to ancient breath— For turtles knew both birth and death. They taught the rhythm of the stars, The purpose found in weathered scars. How stillness beats the lightning’s race, And all things find their destined place. Canto IV: The Legacy Eternal Now every sea and river bend Still holds the turtle as a friend. Through reefs and tides they slowly roam, Their shell forever is their home. They’ve seen the rise and fall of kings, The crumbling of forgotten things. Yet they endure, with quiet pride, Like poems etched on the turning tide. So if you see one in the foam— A drifting fort, a mobile home— Remember this: the world grew old, But turtles made it wise and bold. Epilogue: Blessing of the Shell Blessed be the beast so slow, Who watches as the tempests go. For in her eyes the planets gleam— The turtle is the Earth’s true dream.
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