The turtle moves as slowly as he does,
because he desires to be counted
among the stone-cold, the rock-solid.
The turtle moves as carefully as he does,
because he wants to live forever
and somewhere in his amphibious brain,
the longevity of coral, the persistence
of mountains and boulders have impressed
him with their stubborn immobility.
The turtle is but a step away from stone,
and he hopes, each day, to slow his pace,
to approach, within a fraction, a dead halt,
and thus come so near death as to learn
the secrets of eternity, and strike the deal
struck by stone.
