Don’t you love coincidences? On Sunday I was lunching with two lovely new friends – Mary Wilson, Patron of the May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust (which brought me here to Adelaide), and fellow writer Elizabeth Hutchins. We had a lovely lunch, but I did find myself slapping away more than one mosquito and found myself reciting a rhyme from a childhood favourite rhyme: ‘She snapped at a mosquito.’
Mary asked what the line was from, and I recited the whole rhyme which, I was surprised, neither of my friends knew:
There was a little turtle.
He lived in a box.
He swam in a puddle.
He climbed on the rocks.
He snapped at a mosquito.
He snapped at a flea.
He snapped at a minnow.
And he snapped at me.
He caught the mosquito.
He caught the flea.
He caught the minnow.
But he didn’t catch me.
And that would have been that, except that very next day I strolled through Adelaide’s parks, and came across a little fenced garden. When I entered I found a tranquil oasis, with paths and plants and grass, and a large pond. I sat for a moment – and then realised the pond was inhabited – by not just one or two turtles, but dozens of them.
What a surprise and how mesmerising to sit for a very long time and contemplate their gentle movements and the way they appeared and disappeared.
And, of course, this led to me pulling out not just my camera, but also my notepad. And, after a while, a poem draft.
Turtle Pace
Sometimes it feels
like you must
Madly paddle
just to stay afloat.
Others as if
each stroke
moves you
s l o w l y
in the right direction.
Either way
just remember
once in a while
to pop up for air
or to check out the scenery.
(Sally Murphy, 2023)
I’ve certainly been checking out the scenery here in Adelaide, but have also been making really good progress on my two novel projects. Life is good. You know what else is good? Poetry Friday. Catherine will be hosting the roundup today, and I’m off to see what other poetry goodies are on offer. See you there. Before you go, if need more turtle moments, here’s a little collation of my photos and videos.