Extraordinary Sunshine Weaver

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Box Turtle: A haibun

Published by

Meelosmom

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Photo by David Dibert on Pexels.com

Box Turtle

When the trees were young and the sun high, we had a small garden, lush with tomatoes we shared with a box turtle that would chomp on the fallen fruit. Or did my husband pick the ripe ones just for her? Her beautiful shell, the intricate patterns—did they form a map of her journeys from garden to garden? Our garden, gone now. Too much shade to grow tomatoes. And so, too, the turtle has passed, leaving us her stories to grieve.

A box turtle shell
Constellations
Journeys to the stars

© Barbara Leonhard


11 responses to “Box Turtle: A haibun”

  1. T. W. Dittmer Avatar
    T. W. Dittmer

    Oh! That box turtle’s shell is pretty!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Meelosmom Avatar
      Meelosmom

      Thank you, Tim! I wish I could find a photo of our turtle. We have a video somewhere. Phones change and then things get lost. Maybe I can look in the cloud. If I find it, I’ll post it.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
  2. Carol anne Avatar
    Carol anne

    That is a lovely haibun Barbara! Bet that turtle was cool! 🐢

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    1. Meelosmom Avatar
      Meelosmom

      Thank you, Carol Anne! It was a cool turtle. We miss her!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  3. robbiesinspiration Avatar
    robbiesinspiration

    This is delightful, Barbara. My sister has a leopard tortoise which she rescued on the road. They are difficult to care for as pets.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Meelosmom Avatar
      Meelosmom

      Interesting! Our turtle visited our yard and garden. We had a distant relationship, I guess. We shared the garden food and always worried when the turtle went elsewhere for a while. Then it disappeared.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
      1. robbiesinspiration Avatar
        robbiesinspiration

        Yes, wild creatures do disappear

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Meelosmom Avatar
        Meelosmom

        Stray cats find us and some are too feral to cuddle. We still give them names. One had black and white patches. We called him Moo Cat. I always think about him and miss him.

        Liked by 2 people

      3. robbiesinspiration Avatar
        robbiesinspiration

        🌞💚

        Liked by 1 person

  4. crazy4yarn2 Avatar
    crazy4yarn2

    Ahhhhh, what a bittersweet haibun! Bravo! 👏👏👏

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Meelosmom Avatar
      Meelosmom

      Thank you, Nolcha!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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