I found in England the magic of the friendly hat did not seem to work. People never looked at it and I was perplexed. I was traveling with a friend and he began laughing in the railway station when he was walking behind me. It turns out the people were so reserved they would not look at me as they approached but would turn to look after they passed me, chuckling to themselves. My buddy Jeff was seeing the effect of the hat while I was not. So it was noticed but the people wer

A Poem for the Turtle Hat ........ How quickly this slow creature warms up a room. It's [sic] non-threatening demeanor poised on your head, Bridges the gulf between uncertainty and instant friendship. Kickback mode in colorful reptile skin. Silent but the smile says everything. This is the poem written at the Fourth Street Festival, Bloomington, IN, 2016, by Jeffrey Owen Pearson of the Writers Guild at Bloomington for "Poetry on Demand."