guiding turtles

She had heard from a friend

Who heard from a stranger

That the sea turtle eggs

Would be hatching tonight

Farther down the island

And that a crowd would come

Armed with flashlights to shine

A path from land to sea

Adding to her interest
In the heat of the day

She came across a nest

That the wildlife reserve

Had marked for protection

Asking me more than once

To go at ten o’ clock

We all piled in the car

With hurry at five til

Traveling to the end

Of two dark dead end roads

With a call to her friend

Who said she wasn’t sure

Silence from the back seat

Spoke the disappointment

So in traveling back

We took her to the beach

To go check on the nest

She had found in the day