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Turtle Death, a poem from Hannah Essink

Turtle Death
by Hannah Essink

A lie would paint that I want it not
Sometimes a fabricated portrait is better
Than dropping down the mask to see
The beautifully hideous truth of turtle death

Society conditioned me for failure
Grown-ups then before I came to that time
All told me the same, encouraged the day dreaming
Of my turn someday - they did not talk about turtle death

Someday is turning to no day so slowly
But the dream is not a complete lie
Which makes it all the worse – true for some
But may very well never be for me thanks to turtle death

My dream is breaking – why is this so?
Is it a tasteless joke shoved down my throat?
But no indeed, there is a cloud of blindness on the world today
Times have changed and people with it – turtle death

What is this hope in my soul that keeps rising?
I do not heed the declarations of society as it creeps closer
I see it and sometimes despair, but ever I strive for hope
I wish to rise above it all and defeat this turtle death



Bio: "I am a born-and-raised Indianapolis Hoosier who enjoys reading and writing fantasy, picture book manuscripts and poetry."