By chance, a backhoe man found a land tortoise

Here is another poem from my son Stephen. Everything Comes! I welcome it. As noted he is a resident of NEVIS in the Caribbean. The photo with the poem is his.

NEVIS TORTOISE ADVENTURE

By chance, a backhoe man found a land tortoise,

during a job on Pump Road. A school was close by,

so he thought, why not give the playground a try.

The young land tortoise was handed over to teachers, where in the yard,

a cast iron bathtub became his place to live. He was homeward bound.

The tortoise wandered methodically, crisscrossing the grassy playground.

What a sight for all the children to see! As the tortoise moved slowly around.

While feeding him lettuce, bananas, carrots and bread,

The children, while smiling, watching the reptile eat, and touching his shell,

all thinking it was better than classroom time instead.

After awhile the tortoise grew large, and needed more space,

so he was moved to a larger place, into a big chicken pen.

On the mountain in Morningstar, with many laying hens,

and outnumbered by the birds, they were still his friends.

Many years passed by, and the tortoise grew fond of them.

During a chicken pen repair along the fence, the tortoise escaped.

and being a big Island, he was on the run, no where to be found.

slowly wandering up and down, perhaps looking for a mate.

I would never see him again, I thought, with no like tortoises abound.

On Morningstar mountain, the tortoise, at a slow pace, roamed around.

Six months he went missing, and my searching for him did abate.

Then, by chance one day, I looked in the field by the chicken pen gate.

The tortoise was spotted that afternoon, and seeing him I was filled with joy.

Seeing my old missing friend, I jumped up and down like a young boy.

I ran down, picked him up and looked into his eyes,

which looked healthy but wet, and I could have cried.

Maybe the tortoise was crying.

Homing animal instincts perhaps, led the tortoise back here, surely not just by chance.

This happens with some animals, sea turtles, birds, butterflies, herring and salmon.

There are many more, but I mention these few animals at a glance.

In Nevis, Red Footed tortoises are rare. These reptiles eat mostly fruit and greens,

then pause, hide with good camouflage, as time passes by.

Some tortoises live to be 150 years old and why?

They move slowly, contemplating every move, at a very slow pace.

This gives the tortoise a mellow, thoughtful sort of natural grace.

Well, the tortoise is back home with all his hens and friends,

and again, the Morningstar mountain farm is complete.

The world is overrun with fast moving people, and modes of transportation:

cars, trains, planes; and the tortoise cannot compete.

I may learn from this tortoise some, and hope to slow my own life down.

My hope is that we live long lives together, as the earth goes round and round.

Stephen Rose