Hello, Annie,
Well, you are
right that the poem is riddled with metaphors, but the turtle seems to be equated with
almost everything except a person!
The poor turtle is
called a hard roll, a helmet, a rowboat, a packing case (though that one is a simile,
since the structure 'like' is used). She's represented as a vehicle ('axle')-- a truck
with a 'load of pottery'. The reptile is viewed from a new angle each time a new
metaphor is introduced, and it is interesting to see how the poet builds up her take on
the turtle's hard lifestyle with this rapid sequence of vivid
images.
But the poem remains all about turtles, not people
('Who would be a turtle who could help it?'). At the website referenced below, Ms Ryan
says that she wrote the poem when she was feeling frustrated, so that may be why her
turtle has such a hard time of it-- but the poem remains an observation of turtles, in
the slightly grim humour of this poet's take on one of our most durable
creatures.
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