The Tortoise And The Son. Poem by Tony Adah

The tortoise and the son
Had an argument about
Who God is
The tortoise licked its lips
And posited that
God is simply air
That nobody can see

The son bore a wide smile
But never yielded to the father's talk
His smile sprouted into laughter
And he said, 'father so you don't know
That God is almighty and he lives in heaven'?

They were famished
And in their cooking shade
The hearth was out of fire
Except a heap of ashes
The tortoise pushed the ashes to one side
And pulled the kindlings together
He blew some air onto the faggots
The hearth smothered in smoke
And a blue flicker of the firelight ensued.

Ah, father
You put God into the fire?
The son tortoise asked.
A grin brightened the father's face
And the two laughed
Like the hunger was gone!