Poem for the Turtles
We have been together for a long time,
You and I.
I and you.
Friends of limbs and fins.
Fins and limbs.
Do you want to swim with me?
Or maybe we can take a walk.
Just last month, we were still very young
Carefree, in the glistening sea.
Our reflections are distortions,
In the glistening sea.
Now I see a guy from British Petroleum
Lift you out up with a plastic necklace.
While you are burning, he is smiling,
Applying red and black oil with a spark.
In pain, thinking how much I love your simple life,
The wind holding its breath when you rise.
Elegant swimmer,
Mosaic growth on your cave
So detailed without your intention.
Simple, yet alluring.
Humans only destroy.
How they learn,
The importance of secrets,
Hidden in your silent heart.
Of another species of intelligence.
Maybe mammoth compared to ours,
With flippers replacing feet.
Shells replacing chests.
And claws replacing nails.
Forgive me, forgive me,
For being abandoned from the truth,
For our aggression against your simple beauty.
This poem was written by one of the students in Prof. Malpede's Spring 21 Environmental Justice course.