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Diane Hine
An Interesting Ancestry - Poem by Diane Hine
To some of us, a tortoise lives on land
while turtles only rarely leave the sea.
‘Chelonians' applies to any brand,
so here I'll use this terminology.
Land dwellers share aquatic ancestry
and most of us decided to stay put.
Chelonians agreed to disagree.
A flippered revolution was afoot.
A late Triassic turtle fossil shows
a hard-shelled belly plate and softer back,
presumably to ward off fatal blows
from deeper-dwelling predators' attack.
Did top shell metaphorically ‘dissolve'
when full-shelled forebear sought the sea's embrace?
Or did an unshelled forebear's shell evolve
in oceanic pilgrimage retrace?
Genetic sleuthing points to latter case.
The evidence suggests that once again,
the tortoise forebears left their liquid space
and plodded (swam?) to shore with sigh, 'amen'. *
From sea to shore to sea to shore once more.
You'd surely think a record lies therein.
Yet maybe making not three trips but four
is water loving cousin terrapin.
When next you gaze with love in tortoise eyes
and wonder at his mind's soliloquy,
from languid, longing looks you may surmise,
he's pondering ‘To sea or not to sea'.
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Words moving towards a documentary. You always keep us thinking Diane (Report) Reply
very interesting a good write sets us to thinking (Report) Reply
An interesting little tale... warm, clever and tender. God bless you! (Report) Reply
You are very witty. I like! ! ! ! I wonder how we'll evolve? A lot of us have shells already, invisible shells, impenetrable shells. (Report) Reply
These creatures are not exactly famous for their perambulatory speed, maybe that goes for their decision making prowess too. (Report) Reply
Was it a race against the whale? Foot to flipper, what a tail! ! And will, too, we, return to the sea? Seems a moves afoot this time of year, to the beach since heat we cannot bear... -chuck (Report) Reply
Th shell and back, eh, , nice one. (Report) Reply
Your writing on difficult concepts, settings, evolution and different life forms
seems effortless when read. The work, research and thought that goes into
your style of poetry is immense. (Report) Reply
There is such thought and deepness behind your poetry that I am always amazed. (Report) Reply
A different and unique idea.. u did all the justice..beautifully written (Report) Reply
I did see once the nub of a feather on a turtle's flipper and now know why, perhaps their next peregrination will be to the sky.
Fine poem. (Report) Reply
Very well written - and interesting. Another good one Diane. (Report) Reply
A struggled and changing adaptation, never belonging to anywhere forever, ever searching for anchorage....an outstanding event simply put. (Report) Reply