TORTOISE SPEAKS

MOTHER EARTH

The Earth and I,
says Tortoise, have
an intimate relationship.
I live with her
like a lover, belly
to belly, night and
day.  She never fails
to support me.  She
nurtures the eggs
I spawn, produces
the greens I eat.
She even recycles
the droppings I leave.
What a marvelous
mother is this Earth
that humans so
callously mistreat.