These are not turtles with pink spots
on their heads that go on ocean voyages.
These are small, lovely turtles. They prefer
slow, pensive waters and like to swim together
in little canals. A hundred of them glide leisurely
throughout a pond with rocks arranged artfully
in front of a large sculpture of Guanyin, goddess
of mercy. She is surrounded by lily pads
between two white pagodas with green roofs,
and the Nine-Bend Bridge behind her leads
to the Five Mile Pavilion. There, one can view
Lotus Pond, a lake. A city surrounds these waters
where rabbitfish and ponyfish swim together
among aquatic plants. There are also temples,
altars, sculptures, and other structures around.
Before stopping to examine the turtles,
wander to the other pagodas,
one with a colossal mouth of a tiger,
one with a colossal mouth of a dragon,
both with murals of Bodhisattvas on clouds,
double spiraling staircases, and a zigzagging
walkway when you enter and exit them.
Turtle Mountain rests above all of this,
resembling a turtle quenching its thirst.
All pleasant things, of course, but especially
dote on the tiny turtles in the pond and admire
the ones with heads turned upward to Guanyin.
Efren Laya Cruzada
Efren Laya Cruzada is a poet who studied English and American Literature and Creative Writing at New York University. He is the author of Grand Flood: a poem. His poetry has been published in venues such as The Light Ekphrastic, Songs of Eretz Poetry Review, and Star*line. Currently, he is working on a collection of nature poems based on his travels throughout Latin America and Asia. Having worked as a writer for blockchain media outlets, he is using his programming skills to switch into the tech industry.