John Pinschmidt POETRY EXERCISE # 8 To John Hartley Williams, poet and poets’ mentor Listowel Writers’ Week 40, June, 2011 “OK, People: Write five lines based on an animal, With a line each on its texture, skin or fur, Smell, movement, and the last line---a downright lie. You’ve got 10 minutes. Begin.” THE GALAPAGOS TORTOISE An ancient, battered alligator-skinned helmet, His armadillo legs slated, He smells like the enclosed eternity of Yorick’s skull. Motionless, he still thinks of the young Charles Darwin--The one who named him “Fluffy”.
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