my kind of turtle
loves privacy on his log
and his peace and quiet

so many years to harden
the turtle shell around you
scratched dented cracked

on a log two turtles
with nose to nose touching:
love at first sight

there are some turtles
who when called upon withdraw
into their own world

a nest of turtles 
on a log sunning all day
as if nothing matters

like an old turtle
he suns himself on the shore
of the muddy lake

if turtles can talk:
my shell is too heavy now
I can’t reach my itch

if only you could
like a turtle withdraw yourself
from all your problems

Gary Busha and his press, Wolfsong, have been around since the early 1970s. He graduated from UW- Eau Claire in 1978 with a MA in Arts. These poems were published in Turtles-Nose to Nose, the 23rd in a mini-series by Wolfing Press. To read more by Gary, search for his name at VolumeOne.org.