If I were going to love,
I would love in purple
upon a turtle’s back –
I would be the sun, warm
him until he smiled
and swam happy
through the cool
endless sea of stars.

If I were going to be loved,
I would be loved in green
like the son of a turtle
pushing out slowly
from the rubbery shell
and the darkness
until I too could know
the stars and sweetness
of an eternal sea.