Thursday, February 18, 2021

Terrapins?

"Terrapins" was what we in the Ozarks called the land turtles that crawled about in the dust, though I think the proper term is tortoise (for I have read, I believe, that the terrapin is water-dwelling, and therefore a true turtle, and that the name "terrapin" comes from one of the northeastern Indian tribes' languages and thus not from the Latin "terra," or land).

Terrapins, Terrapins

Terrapins are incurious creatures
that you might well as well call "homebodies,"
for one of their too few funny features
is not to leave home without home to seize!

Don't misunderstand, not home disease or
homesickness, but that they take home along,
when good and ready to go out the door,
with a sing-it-in-their-hearts wordless song.

I hope that this one isn't too bumpy a poem to be read aloud. That might disturb the grumpy.

Note to Recall: All turtles are homebodies! (Pass it on!)

11 Comments:

At 2:52 AM, Blogger Kevin Kim said...

snails and hermit crabs are just
two homebodies with wanderlust
and gliding slowly o'er the land
they follow Life's occult commands

 
At 6:27 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Why not "lands"?

Anyway, nice.

Jeffery Hodges

* * *

 
At 12:23 PM, Blogger Kevin Kim said...

Because, while "lands" might aid the rhyme a bit, "o'er the lands" doesn't sound as natural as "o'er the land."

 
At 7:55 PM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

But it could mean over the countries.

Jeffery Hodges

* * *

 
At 2:22 AM, Blogger Carter Kaplan said...

Or it might make the grumpy disturbed?

 
At 2:23 AM, Blogger Carter Kaplan said...

I find this to be thoughtful and pleasant to read.

As I do most of your poems..

 
At 7:49 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Disturbed, as in the heavy metal Chicago band?

Anyway, glad you liked it.

Jeffery Hodges

* * *

 
At 1:31 PM, Blogger Kevin Kim said...

"But it could mean over the countries."

True, but I wasn't willing to credit hermit crabs and snails with the ability to span entire countries.

 
At 2:28 PM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

How about: "(Geog) (= region) desert/equatorial/temperate lands"?

Jeffery Hodges

* * *

 
At 9:12 PM, Blogger Kevin Kim said...

Instead of fixating on "lands," we might find it easier just to change "commands" to "command"—the one mysterious imperative that the critters follow. (If we're insisting that approximate rhyme is right out.)

 
At 9:54 PM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

That might work. Good on you for thinking outside the box.

Jeffery Hodges

* * *

 

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