Come for the sunshine, stay for the breeze,
This is the land with no worry of freeze.
No snow, nor sleet, or roads slick with ice,
Just warm sunny days with temps that are nice.
Watch a storm roll through every now and again,
Upsetting the goats, black roosters and hens.
Farm country this land is with pastures all filled,
The thunder and rain makes the cattle keepers thrilled.
‘Cuz the rain grows the grasses and feeds horses in masses,
Along with lazy cows and stubborn gray asses.
But it’s the orange trees and grove growers, happiest for the drops,
The Caribbean’s falling clouds provide for bountiful crops.
The sweet smelling blossoms waft all through the air,
Past high pointing noses inhaling with care.
These succulent orange groves dominate the land,
Giving shelter to birds whose colors are grand.
Egrets, spoonbills, herons and cranes,
Anhinga and osprey, nature’s fishing fighter planes.
Oh yes, there are fish here in Florida’s many lakes.
But that’s not all that lurks and makes gentle wakes.
There are gators and turtles and pythons out here,
Frogs and lizards and the occasional wading deer.
This land is alive and packed full of creatures,
Around us fly mosquitoes with their sharp, pointy features.
But Florida has a way of keeping them in check,
When the gulf’s stiff breeze pulls them away from my neck.
Along with the bugs, wind makes other stuff move,
Spanish moss slow dances to a faint sounding groove.
Back and forth it sways through the live oak branches,
That are dotted all around on cattle farm ranches.
These oak trees are giants, ancients from the past,
Whose numbers grow fewer though once were vast.
They tower over semis parked in their shade,
While local fruit pickers wait ‘til the sun fades.
To haul in their loads of citrusy gold,
And rest for the night waiting for tomorrow to unfold.
As one thing’s for certain in this lush tropical land,
Groves, swamps and cattle, go together hand in hand.
Thought it might seem odd orange country’s so diverse,
It’s a place every traveler should put on their list to traverse.
Cheers to nature and her gift to our senses,
Matt
