Snapping Turtle swims
through green Mississippi slew
and raids my stringer.
Snapping turtle
The biggest turtle in the world
was gigantic mass of being
in Galapagos they said
all this flesh and shield
was I50 years old
To think once she had been charming
helped her to find the sea
saving her from greedy birds
Lucky was the man sitting on top
of her making funny faces
she was not a snapping turtle
Snapping Turtle
Brawny and mean,
The reptile is seen
Oozing out of the mire
Like a prehistoric monster.
The snapper stares
While smelling the air,
Keenly attentive
For lurking predators.
A thick-muscled neck
Poised to stretch
With beak agape that says,
“Keep your distance!”
Because it cannot retract
Its head far enough back
To protect it from enemies
And so it snaps at everything.
The turtle claws at the dirt in front,
Pulling itself to where it’s going,
Dragging its spiked tail along
The ground in slow motion.
In a stream of murky waters deep,
Where secrets and shadows forever creep,
Lives a creature fierce and ancient, bold,
A guardian of tales as yet untold.
Behold the snapping turtle, wise and strong,
Her ancient shell echoing a timeless song.
With eyes like amber, full of mystic gleam,
She reigns over a realm of forgotten dream.
A warrior clad in armor of darkest hue,
Her jaws await, a formidable view.
But beneath her tough exterior, you'll find,
A heart of grace, gentle and kind.
She navigates the currents with graceful ease,
A creature of wisdom, silent as the breeze.
In tranquil shallows or depths unknown,
She finds solace, her kingdom, her own.
Through the ebb and flow of passing time,
Her presence endures, a sacred rhyme.
She teaches us patience, resilience, and might,
As she journeys through day and night.
So let us honor this creature so rare,
With a whispered homage, a quiet prayer.
For in her presence, we find strength anew,
Her snapping spirit, forever true.
the snapping turtle
wandering around asphalt
confuses my dog
Youth's stream of dancing diamonds
a sparkling frolic without ending
a burst of naïve beauty before the fall
at the brink-the pinnacle of big dreams
youth crashes into the cold rocks below
diamonds suffocate in the dirty foam
In a flash, youth is snapping turtle old.
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