lonely turtles are lonely.

DANCE TURTLE DANCE

sometimes, it sucks being a turtle.

you build up your hard shell and carry it around with you all day long. you have such a heavy heart, it’s an effort just to stand up.

people make fun of you for moving slow, even when your mind is racing 500 miles an hour.

then you meet a gorgeous girl turtle, with one of the most beautiful shells you have ever seen. and those turtle legs. oh yeah, she’s a swimmer. she makes you turtle laugh until your turtle stomach hurts. you can hear her turtle heartbeat in her turtle chest.

so you like this girl turtle, so much that you hang out with her a lot. she swims with you in the ocean, and heads back home with you to the beach. you swim to some beautiful places: New York, the Berkshires. you make plans for so many more.

sometimes, you carry her on your back. other times, she carries you. slowly, you come out of your shell. you see the real world, and she is always a part of it. turtles get pretty inseparable.

but it’s impossible to let anyone in, and this is where being a turtle sucks. as you try to get close, your turtle shells scratch together. they leave tiny turtle scars. you get mad about the scratches, and have turtle fights. sometimes, you cry turtle tears. even with your shells, some turtle words still hurt.

so you turtle lumber away, hiding deep in the ocean. she turtle waddles away herself. you don’t swim after her; you list the reasons why not. the surf is too strong. she moves too fast. your shell is too comfortable. you tell yourself and her that your turtle heart has changed, and in doing so you break her turtle heart too.

but in reality, you just found the one turtle who you belong with in this whole damn ocean. and you watched her slip back into the sea. her shell feels more like home than your own.

and if turtles could feel sadness, if they could feel regret, if they loneliness,

you, my turtle friend, would be feeling it now.

you can only hope that, sometime during her long sea turtle life, she comes back and forgives you. and just maybe, you can be the lucky turtle sitting next to her on the beach, watching the sunset. then you can whisper in her turtle ear how her turtle smile is the prettiest damn thing your turtle eyes have ever seen.

Posted on April 10, 2012 with 1 note