The Turtle

Living in Florida it's easy to forget the fact we live in Paradise.  Nature literally is right outside our door - I have identified at least 15 species of bird at my bird feeder including feral chickens.  Rabbits, an armadillo, and at least two turtles have made an appearance outside my door much to my cat's annoyance.

Just a little guy, the one in the story was twice this size

I'm a nature lover.  So when I was early going to work the other day I decided to take a brief side trip and ride one of my favorite roads.   It's not a very long ride, in fact you just start to enjoy it and it's over, but it has 16 fun turns in that very short distance.   Normally I turn around and go back the way I came.

I saw the turtle on the side of the road, it was as huge as a dinner plate.  He was facing away from the road just minding his own business.  Normally I try to stop and help keep them off the road after all I've seen burly truck drivers stop short to allow turtles across the road.  But he wasn't going anywhere.

So I did my quick turns, grinning in the sunlight and was heading back up the road, thinking that I would stop if the turtle was still there.   Some moron had hit the turtle.  It's body lay broken on the side of the road, and you could tell from the way the blood and innards were scattered that the son of bitch had purposely driven off the road to hit the poor beast.

It put me into a foul mood all day.

I was reminded of an old Rod McKuen poem:

Thoughts on Capital Punishment

There ought to be capital punishment for cars.

that run over rabbits and drive into dogs

and commit the unspeakable, unpardonable crime

of killing a kitty cat still in it's prime.

Purgatory, at the very least

                       should await the driver

driving over the beast.

Those hurrying headlights coming out of the dark

that scatter the scampering squirrels in the park

should await the best jury that one might compose 

of fatherless chipmunks and husbandless does.