Ph: Mythology: The "Red Turtle's" Gift - Redrawn Poem by Brian Johnston

God's Muse both saves and offers Grace to sailors lost at sea!
His ‘Reasoned Love' has Seasons with "Red Turtle's" buoyancy
that floats or steers most storm-chased hearts to more substantial shore
provisioned for soul's appetites (though flesh does dream of more!)
Is God " Red Turtle? " or time's sand? Is choice just what we choose?
Are drowning souls particular? (Life's all we stand to lose?)

Let's now extend the metaphor! A castaway: you build a raft
to find someplace that offers more! You‘re sure you're going daft
and kluge together plants that float and launch them with the tide.
Unseen, Red Turtle breaks logjam, 'raft' fragments (with false pride.)
You try again, the same result, and hurl insults at God!
Red Turtle's action only felt, ‘Love' knows your anger's fraud.

In ‘Turtle's Wisdom' plans must fail (we plan in ‘ human will, ')
provisions too, if raft does not, Love's bumps aren't meant to kill
but turn a wretch from vain pursuits, while ‘land' remains in reach,
though we're alone, think we're so smart, an island's shore's still beach!
This Anime has ‘mortal man' turn Turtle on its back
and watch it die with no regret: sure death will not ‘ mean Jack! '

But this is ‘Fairy-Tale' of hope and corpse inside the shell
transforms to love more recognized, a partner who will dwell
and share what once was deemed a curse to man alone.
A child is born, are you surprised (though true the years have flown?)
Uncertain times: tsunami comes, ill winds, but all survive,
the child matures, has ‘ Turtle Dreams, ' more ancient forms revive,

lead now grown child to water's edge, to ‘ Turtle‘s Liberty! '
Let fair winds blow, all sailors born hate glassy sea!
Let ‘ joy's flame flickers till death comes, ' be wisdom we enjoy
who understand, Red Turtles do! that all life's gifts are toys
(but are not God) : that rain disguised as snow (as Seasons change,)
its floods on land, is of the sea. What Poet calls this strange?


Brian Johnston
3rd of September in 2020
Poet's Notes:
"The Red Turtle" is an incredibly imaginative and poetic new animated film
with no dialogue co-produced by the Wild Bunch and Studio Ghibli. It
got nominated for "The Best Animated Feature Film" at the 89th Academy
Awards in 2016.

My poem overlays a bare-bones plot outline of this Anime with an
admittedly very personal spiritual Interpretation of the film.