While out for a walk one day, Ana and Matt happened upon a turtle that had been killed by a vehicle on the old two-lane highway that runs past their house. Turtles are common along the Rio Grande through the Mesilla Valley, and Ana had always enjoyed watching them go about their business, however hard it was to determine just what their business was. She thought they looked like dinosaurs, which they probably do. She was upset to see one dead when, almost certainly, avoiding it should have been possible.
Less than a week later, they heard Garrison Keillor's resonant voice read the poem "Turtle" on public radio. She immediately looked it up online, printed it out, and studied it, only needing Matt to explain the meaning of "stuck up to the axle."
They read it to each other several times, Ana weeping unashamedly. She decided to add Kay Ryan's book to her growing collection of poetry.
"Turtle," by Kay Ryan. [Note: this link is closed. To find the poem, simply search for the title and author. It's there, and it's a lovely poem.]
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