The Revolt of the Turtles by Stephen Dunn

The Revolt of the Turtles

 

On gray forgetful mornings like this

sea turtles would gather in the shallow waters

of the Gulf to discuss issues of self-presentation

and related concerns like, If there were a God

would he have a hard shell and a retractable head,

and whether speed on land

was of any importance to a good swimmer.

 

They knew that tourists needed to placate

their children with catchy stories, and amuse

themselves with various cruelties

such as turning turtles over on their backs

and watching their legs wriggle.

So the turtles formed a committee to address

 

How to Live Among People Who Among

Other Atrocities Want to Turn You into Soup.

 

The committee was also charged with wondering

if God would mind a retelling of their lives,

one in which sea turtles

were responsible for all things

right-minded and progressive, and men

and women for poisoning the water.

 

The oldest sea turtle among them knew

that whoever was in control of the stories

controlled all the shoulds and should-nots.

But he wasn’t interested in punishment,

only ways in which power could bring about

fairness and decency. And when he finished speaking

in the now-memorable and ever-deepening

 

waters of the Gulf, all the sea turtles

began to chant, Only fairness, only decency.