[40] Galápagos Land Iguana: Poem, John Delaney, Photograph, Andrew Delaney

I could learn a lot from this iguana,
but, of course, I won’t.
I can’t sit still that long.
I want what I want when I wanna.
On a whim.

And there’s nothing there
to tempt me, surrounded by the sea
like a castaway among some bugs
and lava rocks and prayer.
It’s rather grim.

Weeks into a drought
he’s still waiting under a cactus
for one of its pads to drop,
trusting everything will work out.
Good for him.
***

About 80% of the Galápagos land iguana’s diet comes from the prickly pear cactus. Everything is consumed: flowers, fruit, pads, even spines. And it’s his major source of moisture.