Search for Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle,
its head triangular-shaped,
its bottom shell yellowish,
its top shell grayish-green.
Affected by oil spills,
shrimp trawlers, plastic pollution,
and ghost fishing gear,
this critically imperiled
sea turtle relies on crabs, clams
mussels, jellyfish to survive,
its 100-pound body
no comparison to the mammoth
2,000-pound leatherback turtle.
Travel to the Atlantic
seaboard or to the Gulf of Mexico
to explore this marine reptile’s
terrain in shallow waters
with muddy bottoms.
Plead for an end to deadly
microplastics that these living
souls ingest and choke on.
Urge fishermen to use excluder
devices to prevent
these creatures from getting
embedded in their fishing nets.
Stop humans from eating
their exposed eggs found on beaches.
Preserve their nesting habitat.
Keep shorelines dry. Protect
hatchings from rising coastal waters.
Save beaches from eroding.
Avoid a warming climate.
Don’t let these baby turtles wash away.
—
Dr. Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, Virginia Poet Laureate Emerita, has co-edited four anthologies, co-authored a poem-play, and published nine poetry books, including The Embrace: Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, winner of the international Art in Literature: The Mary Lynn Kotz Award. Her poems appear in numerous journals, including Nimrod, Prairie Schooner, Mid-American Review, and Best of Literary Journals.
