Forgotten Ground Regained
Rescue
Dusk. Rain over but asphalt hissingflooded clear with sea light.Sharply, sweet heart, you swerved, pulled off,ran back and snatching the three-inch turtlewe almost hadn’t missed as it startedits perilous crossing deposited itthere! At the far pasture’s edge—mission so nimbly, raptly accomplishedwhere dizzying beams rushed both waysand tears broke from the tall treesthat I who saw the marvel simplyfiled it away for future use.
Water welling from a mountaintop.The Fire goddess faithfully bleedingInto the Sea, our helicopter’scrawling shadow a fly on folds ofcharcoal lamé. From higher yet,eye to eye with the ever granderrising Sun, the full Moon setting.Our own two bodies burnished by foam—ah, and Rainbows appearing in pairs(the showy male, his mate shyer,like a Japanese bride and groom)peaceably browsing on the jacarandagrove in palest purple bloom.
Back to the turtle, here’s a taleIt can tell till the end of time.“Night was falling. Too frightened to shrinkInto my shell, as the shattering lightsHurtled past I took despairinglyslow steps to appease them.Upon chelonian powers that shoulderedTerra herself from a waste of waters.Childlike I called for help. Was heard! —only then turning to instinctive stone.Shame upon me. I had shut myself tolife even as it upliftedand heaved me into a green haven.
Copyright © James Merrill, 1995
Reprinted with the permission of his estate
No part of this site may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems