Ode to a turtle

I may sound like Walt Disney
But I want to put a name
To the saviour of the county
Who’s rocketed to fame

There’s one small limitation
That has to do with rhyme
There isn’t much to work with
No matter how much time

So I’ll have to call you Myrtle
And I mean no disrespect
The famous county turtle
Soon on T-shirts, I suspect

You’re not painted, snapping, Ninja
You’re a Blanding’s and by far
The queen of all the roads that run
Across the old alvar

You went and stuck your neck out
You electrified the joint
And in your strong but silent way
You saved Ostrander point

Was the damage irreversible?
No human met the test
’Til Myrtle stepped up to the plate
And the panel did the rest

So call us, maybe, if you can
Have your people contact ours
We’d like to throw a dinner
Or a large bouquet of flowers

I guess we owe you big time
There’s a certain tit for tat
You had our backs and so we must
Protect your habitat

After all we cannot count on
The so-called MOE
Who would have, citing greenness
Made you the casualty

And the irony of all of it
To which we must pay heed
The energy the blades produce
We can’t use or won’t need

So take a bow, my new friend
In the spotlight just a while
You enigmatic reptile
With that Mona Lisa smile

And while you’re at it, Myrtle
With your superhero deeds
There’s celebrity assistance
Our hospital sure needs…

dsimmonds@wellingtontimes.ca