Ignorance is Bliss [Lyric Poem]

A turtle swims to water's edge,
and finds before him a steep bluff.
He makes himself a solemn pledge,
"I'll scale this cliff, however tough!"
Struggling over the toilsome rim,
he sees another wall of stone
stands just ahead - tormenting him.
"Just one more, I'll not piss and moan."
If he could know that it was stairs,
He'd have some turtle curse words to share.

Family Resemblance [Kyōka]

Chinese temple pond:
dragonhead tortoise sculpture.
live turtles swim
and sun in those waters.
do they see the likeness?

Tortoise [Lyric Poem]

Thirty-year-old man buys same-aged tortoise;
Middle-aged tortoise: owner has rigor mortis.
In retrospect, it was a stupid plan;
Clearly, the tortoise should have bought the man.

DAILY PHOTO: Turtles of Dusit Zoo

Pig-nose Turtle at Dusit Zoo in Bangkok; taken on March 5, 2017