Phil Loves Turtles

Phil said the turtle is his favorite animal
he likes it because it can live on the water and land
but most of all when things get too hectic
it can withdraw into it's shell
and dream about other things
rather than deal with people and issues

who intrude on his peace and happiness
just like Phil who has been that way
since he was small with very sensitive hearing
where sudden noises make his skin crawl
as do the screechy voices of some small girls
and the booming rumble of thunder

lights also affect his peace
flashes from cameras,
fluorescent lights and the midday sun.
Phil started wearing sun glasses early
some people thought he was silly
but he was quite content to hide his eyes

behind Polaroid lenses and baseball caps
he always gets the bottom bunk
so he can hang up his blanket and shut out
the noisey world, safe in a dark hideaway
with only his imagination and comfort blanket.
Sometimes he thinks about how things work

and the interesting patterns numbers make
and how to combine them quicker than lightening.
He wonders what it would be like to travel to outer space
and even made up a list of the things he would take
if he is ever asked to go.
He likes reading books about turtles

and underwater creatures
sometimes he holds his breath
to see if he could ever live under the sea.
Last week he got a pet turtle to learn how to
survive with the shell attached to his back.
He noticed it moves very slowly and can never play baseball


and the foods that it eats are yucky
Phil knows because he tried the lettuce
and a wiggly pink grub mom bought
from the pet store. Phil tried sitting on a rock
but only lasted an hour and his skin
got all wrinkled when he sat in the water.

After some serious thought
and hours of observation
Phil decided he doesn’t want to be
a turtle after all...
maybe an armadillo instead.