The chatty turtle

Based on a Panchatantra tale

It began as a bright and sunny day,

The sun gleaming over the pond.

But Tut, the turtle sat in dismay,

He didn’t smile or respond.

Tut was known as a chatty guy,

Never quiet, never ever shy.

So when his friends flew down from the sky,

They looked at him quite surprised.

His two best friends were flying things,

Cranes with long necks and wings.

“What’s wrong Tut?” they asked, concerned.

He told them what he had learned.

“The pond is drying, it’s getting small.

Soon, there will be no water at all.

What on earth can I do?

I don’t have wings like the two of you."

The cranes said, “We need a plan.

We’ll get you out of here… we can.”

A long tree branch they found.

And brought it down to the ground.

“Tut, bite the branch with your teeth.

Don’t look down at the ground beneath.

No talking, don’t let go,

We’ll fly you to a lake we know.”

Into the sky with the branch they flew,

“Wow!” thought Tut, “What a view.”

“Remember," they said, "Not a word!"

“Hang on tight, you're not a bird.”

Soon, they flew over a little town,

People gawked, people frowned.

“Look, a flying turtle,”they said

Tut was excited in his head.

The more he heard the people call out,

The more he wanted to scream and shout!

In the end he could take it no more,

Their words he simply couldn’t ignore.

“I’m flying, can’t you see?” he said,

As he lost the calm in his head.

As soon as he spoke, his heart sank.

The cranes were shocked, quiet and blank,

Down he went through the sky,

He flapped his feet, trying to fly.

Silence is golden, so they say.

So be smart when you speak today.

Hey kids, have you heard of the idiom 'Silence is golden?' What do you think that means. While it is important to speak up for ourselves, have you ever been in a situation where saying less would have simply solved your problem. Did you ever 'talk' your way into trouble? Think about it.