Animals: “summer’s inspiration—do it for himb / for bitch turtle” by Hikari Miya
summer’s inspiration—do it for himb
for bitch turtle
the exigence of this poem is that bitches exist, specifically bitchy box turtles
who try to kill any other turtle they could sink their beak into.
the clunky rush of turtle head to another calm turtle’s neck is enough
to inspire fear worthy of documentation for any reptilian legend.
i love thinking about how turtles have inspired the best in humanity.
we live on a giant turtle’s back, and it serenely paddles her way through
the cosmos as we share our french fries or dig graves for faithful dogs.
their wrinkles remind us of their silent wisdom, their ageless luckiness.
everyone calls bitch turtle auntie b. but upon closer examination—
the concavity of her shell, the position of cloaca further down along
her tail—i am sure that auntie b is actually uncle b. i would tell
the lead keepers, but i don’t want to ruin the fun, or be involved
in difficult decisions such as name changing. mine was already enough.
what would he be, then? asshole turtle, for the cloaca is easy to see an inch
outside of the shell. angy turtle, not rad enough for the letter “r”, and too
cute to be an entity with that caustic sound. i already feel the acidity
of his gaze as he rushes towards my brown rubber sperry boot, the only mate
suitable for him. if i had one, i’d tie a red balloon to his shell so i would always
know where he’s off to next. he’d never tell me why, or why he goes in his water
bowl as soon as i scrub it and fill it with new water, but i’d always do it, for himb.
Hikari Miya with a juvenile American Alligator named Peanut.
About Hikari Miya
Hikari Leilani Miya is an LGBTQ Japanese-Filipina American who graduated from Cornell University in 2019 with a BA in English, and from University of San Francisco with an MFA in Creative Writing. She is a scholarship-awarded student in Florida State University's PhD program in creative writing, where she is a member of the Asian American Student Union and Vice President of the university's Association of Herpetologist and Entomologists. In 2021, she was a semi-finalist for the Red Wheelbarrow poetry prize judged by Mark Doty. Her first book of poems, Do Not Feed the Animal is forthcoming via Cornerstone Press in February, 2024. She currently lives in Tallahassee with her snakes, leopard gecko, and disabled cat, and volunteers at the Tallahassee Museum specializing in reptile care and handling. In addition to earning her master's certification in herpetology from the Amphibian Foundation and certification in husbandry and captive management, she is a former health care worker, percussionist, pianist, and competitive card game player.
