Turtle

We are living in the
Married student housing
By the river in Austin,
Lindy holds our toddler
And our two sons who are
Six and nine glump in
And complain two older
Brothers in Sunday clothes
Are pushing and teasing them.
I stop reading and ask them
Why don’t they get a bucket
Of water and sit on backyard
Steps and play with their turtle?
They reply they have no turtle.
I look at them over my glasses
And remind them that the
Two bullies don’t know that.
A grin appears on each face
And they fill a bucket and
Sit on the back steps inside the
Small garden gate playing loudly.
The two bullies demand to see the turtle and my sons oblige them
By lugging the bucket to the
Gate and tossing water on them.
Both are upset their Sunday
Clothes are wet and
Bring back their
Mother who
Hears the
Story and
Leads them off
By the ear,
Baptized
By the
Turtle.