The Turtle and the Dove.

A turtle looked to Heaven,
for the sky that bore his love.
Many found it awful silly,
for a reptile to love a dove.

“She makes my heart a’flutter,”
said the hard-shell to his friend,
“There’s no distance I wouldn’t travel,
I’d pursue her to the end.”

His darling bird would circle round,
and call down words of love.
“You have my heart! My soul! My wings!”
She sang him songs from high above.

“But she’s up there, and you’re down here,”
his fellow cooters croaked.
“You can never make it work!”
“You’d best grow wings,” they joked.

But leatherback, he had a plan!
He’d be united with his joy.
For on this day he’d join the sky
by way of children’s toy!

Yesterday a boy had come,
to fly his airplane o’er the lake,
But when his mom called, “DINNER!”
his plane he failed to take!

The turtle wiggled and he waggled
his shell upon the craft.
He secured his position firmly,
his body facing aft.

He knew the risk he faced,
For turtles aren’t meant to fly
But to stay a’ground without his dove,
he’d surely rather die.

So with a click, the engine purred,
the plane – it came to life!
Mr. Leatherback rose in the air,
and ventured to find his wife.

He searched through every tree top,
he looked through every cloud.
But he couldn’t find his lovely dove,
though he called for her – real loud.

This leatherback, he was so sad,
when he landed his new plane.
For he’d searched for his love e’rywhere,
but, alas, it was in vain.

The turtle began to cry,
so much he couldn’t see.
For standing there before him,
was his dove – feather-free.

“I’ve given up my feathers,” said she,
“What’s the point of flight?
“For what I love is on the ground,
“compared to you the sun bears no light.”

The turtle and his dove,
were grounded here at last,
for neither needed wing
Love – all boundaries had surpassed.

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Thank you for reading,

~ Victoria Elizabeth