#poem, «July 15 and A Sea Turtle»

JULY 15
A Sea Turtle

Early in the morning of the 15th of July
as I walked to the bar by the sea
for a cuppa “wake-up” coffee,
off to the side, where the lounge chairs were placed for the day,
a large group of people had gathered,
looking towards the sea just a metre away…

I immediately felt a strong tap on my shoulder,
curiosity for sure, as behind me was nobody else,
so I strolled a few steps to attempt to discover
whatever it was that had brought such distraction
to so many people sipping tea, or their coffee,
while having a smoke, reading news on their mobiles.

And I saw, floating on the crystal clear waters,
Aegean blue, cold and clean,
something oval in shape, off white in colour, and drifting our way.
It was brought by the wind by the shore’s gentle call
and ever so gently it reached our seawall…

Then one brave lady, whom I knew from the town,
climbed down the small ladder, and slipped in the water.
But by now we could all see quite clearly,
that the oval, white shape had been once a sea turtle
floating limp, upside down, so still and so dead.

Another brave soul, a young man that I see in the bar every morning,
jumped in from the seawall and brought up the carcass,
and we all looked to see if there was still life within it,
But we all soon concluded that the turtle was dead.

I don’t know what this means,
perhaps simply nothing,
After all every summer I live on the shores of the wide, wild Aegean
that kisses these lands and moistens the sands
where Hector and Odysseus left footprints eternal.
Many creatures live and die in these waters quite daily,
Some sink to black depths, others float to the shores,
today it was mine…

But it made an impression on me,
as I’m sure you can see by these words I have written,
life’s eternal, wise cycles, vindicate her wisdom,
no creature’s eternal in the land or the sea.

C.2024, Francisco Bravo Cabrera – 15 JUL 2024 – Izmir, Turkiye

NOTA BENE

This is a true story and it happened just as I have described it in the poem. It occurred in a small town on the Aegean Coast of Turkey where I usually spend my summers. It is a great place to enjoy the sea, go diving, sailing or just hanging around. Although one rationalises that sea animals (and land animals as well) die every day, it still makes an impression when they come so close to make you realise that life is death and death is life, somehow, some way. I really do not know how to express it, although I am a writer, but it did create an impression on me. Not of sadness, but of revelation. The picture above is the place where it all happened…

CHEERS