Turtles

It's the soft
shell turtles

that give me the most
trouble.

When I walk
along the banks

of the St. Joe,
they get cryptic.

I just want to capture them
at 1/800th of a second.

Not even with the quickness
of my paint brush

can I translate them
to a raw piece of cedar.

My strokes are long
and muddy like the river.

I can only imagine—

the turtles beneath the surface.