Yang’s Excellent Adventure

Twas late one fall,
When just up ahead
I saw a great big sign,
And here is what it said:

“Outdoor Flea Market,
You’ll Find It All Here!”
So I drove past the mall,
As I shifted my gears

Twas a cold windy day,
As I walked through the crowd
Lots of junk on display,
And the music was loud

Then just up ahead,
I saw a wee flash of green
So I got a little closer,
Just to see what I had seen

And low and behold,
There he was in a bowl
A wee little turtle,
And his friends were all cold

It was all so sad,
So I picked out two
I would have took more,
But I did what I could do

Then away we went,
To a warm safe house
Yin and Yang , and me,
Hit the road and headed south

Once I got them home,
I knew right off the bat
That little tiny bowl,
Was just the wrong habitat!

So, quick as a wink,
I jumped in my truck
I went to the pet store,
And Yang was in luck!

I bought a great big tank,
And a heater, and a light
I took it straight it home,
To their thrill and delight

They swam, and they ate,
And they basked on their log
They both seemed happy,
And they smiled at the dog

He sniffed, and he whiffed,
And he whined at the glass
He wanted to play,
But Yang just laughed!

Time went by,
And they grew, & they grew
And I always felt sad,
Because I knew what I knew

Poor little guys,
They were meant to be free
But they said at the store,
They would die but for me

So the days passed by,
And they never complained
But they kept gazing out,
As if they knew they were chained

I did what I could,
To keep them happy and safe
But a turtle’s a turtle,
And he’s not meant for tanks!

I felt real bad,
But there was nothing I could do
Yang didn’t seem sad,
But the next thing you knew…

Yang went missing,
And Yin was quite sad
He’s a very good turtle,
He didn’t mean to be bad

He grew big enough,
To climb the log to the top
I feared for him then,
The floor’s a long drop!

I had to watch my step,
As I wondered through the house
For he was well hidden,
More so than a mouse

I was sure he was hungry,
And probly freaked out
Oh, poor little Yang,
If you could just shout!

I hoped he’d turn up,
While I was sleeping some night
With his cool striped head,
And his shell so tight

I hoped he was well,
But I feared he was not
He was going through hell,
And he had been through alot!

Yang went missing,
And Yin was quite sad
He’s a good little turtle
He didn’t mean to be bad….

The weeks went by,
I feared Yang lost
Yin just sighed,
The dog walked off

Then I heard a slight rustle,
And I glanced down to see
And there sat Yang,
He was lookin’ up at me!

He didn’t look too bad,
And I was glad he was okay
Yin and I were sad,
To think him gone away

And when I found him there,
I put him back in gentle keeping
I knew Yin would be so glad,
When she woke up from her sleeping

So all was back in balance,
Yin and Yang were back together
And that’s the way it should be,
They’ll stay that way forever!

Yang had been found,
And Yin was quite glad
He’s a good little turtle,
He didn’t mean to be bad!

A year went by,
But I could not forget
They never said much,
But Yang’s jaw was set

They were both real healthy,
But I was still sad
Yin looked unhappy,
And Yang was plain mad!

Then one fine day,
As I shopped for their food
I explained to the lady,
That they were in a bad mood

She told me of a place,
Where they could have a new home
So she gave me the number,
And I dialed up the phone

Sure enough I called,
And the lady was so neat
She had a special secret place,
Where all the turtles meet

With a pond, and buddies,
And wee fish, and free food
I knew that they’d be happy,
This was just the thing to do!

So I packed them once more,
And we took off in the truck
Yin closed her eyes,
Yang kept looking up

Then I handed them off,
To that lady so kind
And she took them away,
To a new home sublime

Now they play,
And they swim,
They laugh with their friends
Yang’s gone away,
His story now ends

He’s happy, and he’s free,
In his own special place
The way a turtle should be:
With a smile on his face!

The house is not the same,
Since all this came to be
But I don’t mind a bit:

Yang is finally free!

©2009, Kathleen MacLintock

 

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