One of my all-time favorite poems is “Turtle,” by Kay Ryan. Every time I read it, I am gobsmacked by the language, the metaphors, the internal rhyme, the enjambment. It just begs to be read aloud. Go ahead. I’ll wait while you do. The whole poem can be found at The Poetry Foundation.
Turtle
by Kay Ryan
Who would be a turtle who could help it?
A barely mobile hard roll, a four-oared helmet,
she can ill afford the chances she must take
in rowing toward the grasses that she eats.
Her track is graceless, like dragging
a packing-case places, and almost any slope
defeats her modest hopes. Even being practical,
she’s often stuck up to the axle on her way
to something edible. With everything optimal,
she skirts the ditch which would convert
her shell into a serving dish.
Am I right? A masterpiece, isn’t it?
Then, about a week ago, a Ted Kooser poem popped up on A Writer’s Almanac. A turtle poem in disguise. A worthy companion poem for “Turtle.” The whole poem is here.
Student
by Ted Kooser
The green shell of his backpack makes him lean
into wave after wave of responsibility,
and he swings his stiff arms and cupped hands,
paddling ahead. He has extended his neck
to its full length, and his chin, hard as a beak,
breaks the surf.
Very different poet, very different poem…and yet the endings of both poems speak to each other in interesting ways, don’t they?
I didn’t do a search to find out how many other turtle poems there are out there in the world. (Part of me is satisfied with just these two.) But the moon and turtles definitely share a moment in indigenous legends, and we do know that the moon has had more than her share of poems, so it stands to reason that it would be just as hard to write something original about turtles as it is about the moon. But Ryan and Kooser sure do want to make you try, don’t they?
Rose has this week’s Poetry Friday roundup at (isn’t THAT a coincidence???) Imagine the Possibilities.
It doesn’t get much better than Kay Ryan and Ted Kooser, does it? I love how you partnered these poems that each carry strong images and that eager heaviness of slogging through life. Thanks!
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Thank you for both of these poems, Mary Lee. They pair nicely together. Turtles always remind me of the one who lived briefly in a box in my first classroom…until I wised up.
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Both poems are new to me — masterpieces! Who knew turtles could inspire such cleverness and craft? The ending of the Kooser poem made me smile. Thanks for both!
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You’re right about reading Kay Ryan’s poem aloud, Mary Lee. Love this pairing! (This week, I saw a turtle that had been hit by a car and I was so shook. A sad first.)
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Thanks Mary Lee, for sharing both of these humbling and powerful poems about a mighty warrior, which we have encroached much too close on. What we carry on our backs says so much about who we are. I think we could learn a few things from this patient creature.
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Mary Lee, it is interesting that you shared two poems about turtles because I just saw a turtle stroll across the busy street. A lady jumped out of her car to save the heavy-armored animal. I have been thinking about how to explain that poetically. You gave me inspiration.
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I think I will look at those slow turtles crossing my path differently and more patiently. I love the idea of pairing poems. Well done.
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Two favorite poets…and I’m just a happy kid reading your post. Thanks for the turtle thoughts and poems. You make me want to go out and find two poets and two poems and try to make connections like this.
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Thank you for sharing these poems. I know that student. I love the idea by so many of the indigenous leages of the earth being “turtle island”.
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I am fascinated by these poems in conversation… a nudge (without telling us) to maybe embrace and lean into what limits us? Thanks for sharing this!
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I’ve read and loved Kay Ryan’s poem, but the Kooser is new to me. I copied Kay’s last line as I read it again, and then you had me looking at both last lines together!
the sport of truly chastened things
lumbers, heavy with hope, into the library
Hope as a sport, the one with the heaviest ball (or backpack).
The cost of the shell that protects over the long haul.
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What a fantastic pairing, Mary Lee. These may indeed be the only two turtle poems we need. (Well, other than the one I expect will tumble forth from you soon.) 🙂 Here’s to patience and hope!
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