The Turtle

He was a large brown tortoise He was over fifty years old He lived on an island Far from the large city He loved the color of the sea It was a light turquoise Which glimmered when the sun hit it like diamonds It was always warm but not hot The weather was perfect The waves made a rhythmic sound when hitting the shore Sometimes he would wade out into the water eventually swimming to the bottom The sand was soft as silk He was looking for food Slowly he swam and walked around until he found it He stopped to feed on the coral Loosening parts of it as he ate This was his favorite meal As he ate a school of brightly colored fish swam up to join him They ate the loosened pieces of coral and algae grateful to their friend the tortoise When he was done eating he swam back to the surface walking back to the shore He found a rock on which to settle as he was feeling sleepy after eating He pulled his head into his shell closing his eyes and napped While he slept the birds flew by looking for fish A cruise ship appeared moving slowly towards the city port Local folk moved about Music played in the background As another day unfolded Beautiful flowers were all around Their sweet smell filled the air Like expensive perfume Markets were full of fruits and vegetables Artifacts and local wares lined the shelves of shops getting ready for the visitors Soft island breezes blew swaying the palm trees to and fro rustling their leaves creating a muted noise It was a peaceful time on the island It was home to the tortoise He traveled from time to time Sometimes far away but always came back to this island It was home