Snapping Turtle Love: Summer Reflections
August 22, 2006
It was an early August morning
and a low mist hung still over the pond.
The water surface was glassy smooth as I paddled
to a shallow, sheltered portion of the south shore.
There was something different about the water surface here.
It was covered with tiny bubbles.
I sat and pondered this anomaly.
Could it be that the mud was out-gassing for some reason?
No.
So, what then?
I scanned the surface of the water, and then I saw it.
A ripple.
Then, a snapping turtle snout appeared,
exhaled and took in fresh air, then sank again.
A few seconds later the turtle looked as if it were doing
a headstand in the water.
Ooh, I thought, “It’s catching fish.”
No…that’s not it.
Because now there are two shells,
belly to belly with sharp, clawed feet
clinging to each of them.
Then, two heads appeared.
Lots of twisting and turning,
dunking and surfacing.
Ohhhh….they must be flirting with each other!
Then, two hours later,
after traversing a large part of the shallows,
still in a clumsy embrace,
all became quiet.
Mating had begun.
Snapping turtle love.
