Week 11 - I like Turtles (Pick a Poet) - Noah Rubin

As the saying goes, I like turtles! I came across this interesting and thought-provoking poem by none other than Kay Ryan about Turtles - it’s called ‘Turtle’. The poem makes fun of turtles and explores the hardships and annoyances a turtle must encounter on a daily basis. After some clever name-calling including calling a turtle a “barely mobile hard roll” and “a four-oared helmet,” the poem points out that turtles are slow, always on their way to their next meal, and have lots of obstacles to dodge on a day to day basis. It’s funny and light-hearted at first, but upon analyzation it really made me think about what it might mean to be a turtle - or anything other than a person, for that matter. Having to forage and hunt for food every day, avoid and evade predators, and meet other animals? How does that work? Would it be more like Wonder Pets or Nemo? Anyways, I’ve digressed. 

The poem then shifts to the thoughts of a turtle and ends off by subtly complimenting the turtle, saying that they are contempt and patient creatures. Ryan writes that a Turtle would “never imagine some lottery will change her load of pottery to wings” and that a Turtle’s “only levity is patience.” I personally really enjoyed this poem because it made me think about being a turtle, but I wish it was a bit longer. I would’ve appreciated more wordplay and Ryan really could have given more of how a turtle lives its life. The poem also ended in an almost upsetting place, suggesting that the Turtle is a punished or sad animal - writing that the turtle is “truly chastened.” Ryan could have developed this idea more and explained why she thinks a turtle is  ‘chastened.” In any event, I found the poem fun, and I’m probably reading too much into it!

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50611/turtle-56d22dd3f31c2