7/7

when i was little,
maybe 10
we found a sea tortoise,
alive
on the beach

it wasn't as big as this
and we picked it up and put it back in the water
(hopefully it hadn't just dragged itself up on the sand
to lay its eggs)
:O

since then
i have never encountered another
until now

clearly this was an old being,
so majestic
so sad