Turtle
(Fellow) (Wo)Man
I
have to avoid her,
that
reptilian captive:
She's world suffering to me.
A caged girl in Mumbai,
She's world suffering to me.
A caged girl in Mumbai,
a
tomato-picking slave in Florida,
Tied in the back of a truck at night.
All that's wrong in the world--
Right there in that shallow glass tank.
I try to avoid her;
Tied in the back of a truck at night.
All that's wrong in the world--
Right there in that shallow glass tank.
I try to avoid her;
I
walk a different road to
Get where I need to go,
Get where I need to go,
Where
I want to go.
Where I can go.
Where I can go.
(Where
she can't go.)
I don't want to see her.
She's clawing at the glass,
I don't want to see her.
She's clawing at the glass,
a
thin line of water
keeping
her afloat--
Holding her chin up,
Holding her chin up,
a
little air to choke on.
Right in front of that
Right in front of that
beige
house—in their driveway,
up
against the front wall,
Just there, for everyone to not see.
Just there, for everyone to not see.
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A note from Abigail: This poem is my prayer for justice. Justice now, not just in eternity. We live in Japan, and in our neighborhood there is a turtle in a glass tank continually clawing to get out. There is nothing for her to stand on, so she is constantly floating and trying to escape. Just sitting outside by herself. Because I already have a heart for justice, seeing her brought to mind so much that is wrong in the world. The poem might seem disheartening, but I am bolstered by Revelation 22:1-5, and in particular this verse from that passage: "The leaves of the Tree are for healing the nations."
A note from Virginia: The moment I met Abigail at church here in Florida a few years ago, I knew she was a kindred spirit, a soul sister. I was so sad when she and her family moved to Japan last year. She posted this on Facebook today and kindly gave me the permission to share it with you.
Don't think this is a world away. In the USA, there are an estimated 1.5 millions human trafficking victims, many of them children. I have written about liberty and justice for human trafficking victims at these links:
Are you intrigued by the picture at the top of this post? I Googled "human trafficking victim" and came up with this. I edited it with Picasa to fit the inhuman turtle-ish theme. Take a good hard look and think about it.
Ready to take action? Here is one reputable organization to get you going! International Justice Mission
For liberty and justice,
Virginia Knowles