“What would it be like to be a turtle inside a shell hit by hailstones?”
Imagine the sensation of being a turtle inside its shell during a hailstorm - the loud pings of hailstones hitting the hard exterior, the feeling of being safe but also trapped. How might this experience shape your perception of safety and shelter? How would you cope with the noise and chaos happening around you? Consider the resilience of turtles and how they endure various elements in nature - what can we learn from their ability to weather storms both literally and metaphorically?
The quote by Naomi Shihab Nye invites readers to consider the perspective of a turtle during a hailstorm. By asking this question, Nye prompts us to imagine ourselves in the place of a vulnerable creature and empathize with their experience. This quote highlights the poet's skill in using simple language to evoke deep thought and contemplation about the world around us.
Naomi Shihab Nye's question about imagining being a turtle inside a shell hit by hailstones prompts us to consider the experience of vulnerability and resilience. In today's fast-paced and unpredictable world, this quote encourages us to empathize with others who may be facing challenging circumstances, and to reflect on our own ability to overcome adversity.
"What would it be like to be a turtle inside a shell hit by hailstones?" - Naomi Shihab Nye
The quote above by poet Naomi Shihab Nye illustrates the power of imagination and empathy in poetry. It invites readers to step into the perspective of a turtle, experiencing the sensation of hailstones hitting their protective shell. This vivid imagery allows for a deeper connection to the natural world and a glimpse into the inner thoughts and emotions of a seemingly ordinary creature.
“I knew what slant of light would make you turn over. It was then I felt the highways slide out of my hands. I remembered the old men in the west side cafe, dealing dominoes like magical charms.”
“I am looking for the human who admits his flawsWho shocks the adversaryBy being kinder not strongerWhat would that be like?We don't even know”
“Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things, feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth.”
“you will never catch up.Walk around feeling like a leafknow you could tumble at any second.Then decide what to do with your time.--The Art of Disappearing”
“Boy and EggEvery few minutes, he wantsto march the trail of flattened rye grassback to the house of mutteringhens. He too could makea bed in hay. Yesterday the egg so freshit felt hot in his hand and he pressed itto his ear while the other childrenlaughed and ran with a ball, leaving him,so little yet, too forgetful in games,ready to cry if the ball brushed him,riveted to the secret of birdscaught up inside his fist,not ready to give it overto the refrigeratoror the rest of the day.”
“KindnessBefore you know what kindness really isyou must lose things,feel the future dissolve in a momentlike salt in a weakened broth.What you held in your hand,what you counted and carefully saved,all this must go so you knowhow desolate the landscape can bebetween the regions of kindness.How you ride and ridethinking the bus will never stop,the passengers eating maize and chickenwill stare out the window forever.Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,you must travel where the Indian in a white poncholies dead by the side of the road.You must see how this could be you,how he too was someonewho journeyed through the night with plansand the simple breath that kept him alive.Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.You must wake up with sorrow.You must speak to it till your voicecatches the thread of all sorrowsand you see the size of the cloth.Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,only kindness that ties your shoesand sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread,only kindness that raises its headfrom the crowd of the world to sayIt is I you have been looking for,and then goes with you everywherelike a shadow or a friend.”