Turtle With Swan Wings

Turtle With Swan Wings
© Surazeus
2026 02 21

Strange as it seems to the alphabet god, 
I wade in bright lake of arrogant peace 
to catch demonic energy of fear 
and roast large fish in domed temple of truth, 
then sing with crickets in the twilight hour 
when Death catches the tyrant in the tower. 

Silver rain splashing on window of time 
reveals strange beauty of this world I love, 
refracting faces of strangers who live 
in doorless houses of my neighborhood, 
so I stand on stone bridge of timeless faith 
and listen to song of the star-eyed wraith. 

When people gather in the city park 
for the annual poetry festival, 
I morph into the turtle with swan wings 
to fly across the prairie of respect 
and walk in valley of the singing skull 
to hear sweet spell only rivers can sing. 

Though my heart is broken by civil wars 
that displace families from ancestral homes, 
the way Minerva smiles at me and laughs 
while we are strolling on the river shore 
heals secret wounds with charm of simple joy 
because despair flows away to the sea. 

Rivers have flowed from mountains to the seas 
four billion years of shining crystal eyes, 
and water will keep cycling through our hearts 
another billion years of spinning hope, 
so I kneel reverently in glowing grass 
and drink clear liquid in cupped hands of love. 

I pray to totems of Bacchus and Thor 
who laugh with joy at calm absurdity 
as we dance cheerful with anxiety 
to celebrate savage science of truth 
in war against the psychopathic god 
who blusters with obsessive angst at Death. 

Imperial pride of superior grace 
glares fiercely from cracked mirror of despair 
that drives brave Vikings mad in frantic fear 
when glass cathedrals crack from greedy prayers 
which leaves their treasured creeds exposed to rain 
washing pious fantasies to the sea. 

Stuck on the carousel of history 
that hurls my horse of courage into war, 
I race with passion past my destiny 
by swerving willfully from violent hate, 
and choose to welcome refugees of fate 
to build communal paradise of farms.