schizophrenic reptile

schizophrenic reptile

 

 

a turtle's progress,

slowly my heart moves in your direction

but a box turtle's ambiguity

closes my shell securely

 

i let the hare win the race

turn away from your entreating face

all you see, a receding carapace 

 

blink at my speedy retreat

one hesitant step within

i quickly regress,

heart moves, with much slower feet.

 

 

erin-cilberto

1/31/16

Reviews

[Scrap]

Love the title!

Somehow the turtle here is a selfless Hero!!!
Im a turtle living in a hare World walking hare steps for else i fall. Basic survival!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

me too, Scrap...in fact i am the tortoise trying to walk backward into the 60's...this new age makes me close up my shell...

thank you for your visit.

j.

[Lydia Shutter]

I liked the scattered rhyme and rhythm of this one. There are days I want to be a turtle and crawl into my shell away from the maddening crowd. Hearts are very breakable. The turtle's shell is a good armor. Lydi**

[jacob erin-cilberto]

ah Far from the Maddening Crowd...oh yes.
thank you, Lydi...and those shells get tougher as we age, at least i feel mine has...better pace in life now.

j.

[Lydia Shutter]

We learn to protect ourselves....because we must.

[Cassie]

Wow...this one has brought childhood stories to my head, I like the way you can write on almost every subject

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, my friend.

j.

[Jimmy Yetts]

Boffo last line!
Turtles--though, apparently, sometimes fairly quick to retreat--only win races in fairy tales.
Gotta say it, again: Boffo last line!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, turtles beating hares? has to be an illusion...

thanks, Jimmy,

j.

[iand63]

what a title! wish Ihad thought of it. It's said there is no greater fear than fear itself, I bet the fear and sense of insecurity that love can invoke comes a close second. I love the turtle image, reminds of early Hanna Barbera cartoon character. Nice one J.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your insightful review, ian...

j.

[Alfred Kukitz]

I have to send you a picture of Rainbow, a turtle of huge proportion, ambling around the store I visit for grooming the dogs.

A nice piece of poetry Jacob!

Regards,
Al

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, and i look forward to seeing Rainbow...my friends sandy and jim (he is a poet, also, and we watch the super bowl every year together) have two tortoises that are 25 years old...they have had them the entire time...

Rex and Rover...so fascinating...i have two little box turtles in my aquarium...love turtles.

thank you, Al.

j.

[Alfred Kukitz]

I remember taking a couple of shots of Rainbow but I can't find them on my phone. Sorry guy!

[Aura Devour]

This is so beautiful. I love the imagery you've used.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, Aura...

j.

[Zugzwang]

The fear of being hurt makes us recoil from possible love.
So silly to be ruled by fear in this way and yet we cannot seem to avoid it.
I love the turtle/hare imagery, and the simple rhyme scheme...it's redolent of children's stories, yet the message is entirely mature.
A striking piece.
z.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Zeitnot...

j.