The Turtle and the Road

A turtle moved slowly.

Along the road,
other animals would watch him.

They asked,
“Why are you so slow?”

He would stop,
take his time,
and answer carefully.

“My shell is heavy.”
“I’m not slow—
I just move steadily.”
“Each step has its place.”

“Slow is calm.”

Some nodded.
Some shook their heads.
Some didn’t wait
and were already gone.

Each time he moved on,
he fell a little farther behind.

He had spent his time explaining.

Day after day,
he stopped to answer.

No one really listened.

One day,
as he made his way
down the road,
someone asked again—

“Why are you so slow?”

He paused,
looked ahead,
and kept moving.

He left the voice behind.

The road grew quiet.
He kept going.

And as he walked,
something began to change—

he didn’t need to stop anymore.

His steps felt lighter.
He stopped explaining.

He drew his head into his shell,
then stretched it out again
and went on.

The road was long.

No one followed.

He was still slow—

but his journey was his own.