sand, gritty sand greets the newborn
it wails out a war cry, letting the world know of its arrival
and breaks out of its shell
only a thin membrane protecting it from the nether
this unknown place that it must traverse

the sun beats down on its soft armor and its first shadow falls
a long stretch of sand stands to be conquered
littered with danger like a minefield
its first steps will set it off

the stretch between the birth spot and the sea is like a battlefield
young children leave footprints like bombshells
birds, like planes of the enemy, peer around for a vulnerable target
the turtle will soldier on