by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Morning Walk

Florida Woods, Photo by Cheryl Batavia

Morning Walk

On a humid August morning,

heading out the door,

I am greeted by the sweet fragrance

of cabbage palms in bloom.

Long strands of Spanish moss,

gracefully draping oak trees

and swaying in the breeze,

glimmer silver in the sunshine.

Vulture, Photo by Mark Boos from Unsplash

High above the trees,

vultures glide magnificently

beneath a fading slice of moon,

pale against an azure sky.

Moon, photo by Rustell Mania from Unsplash

Cicadas sing ubiquitously.

I pause to rest in the shade

of a sprawling oak tree;

the cicada chorus is deafening here!

I pass a sandy clearing

where gopher tortoises

like to sun themselves…

They seem to be in their burrows today.

Photo of black-eyed-susan by Cheryl Batavia

Some wildflowers are still blooming,

scattered along the edge of the woods…

my favorite black-eyed-susans

and some bright gold coreopsis.

Beauty berries, tiny green spheres

clustered along the branches,

are ripening to a vivid magenta,

a favorite food of birds.

Gulf Fritillary Buterfly, Photo by Jonathan Borba from Unsplash

Gulf Fritillary butterflies,

orange against the green,

flutter along the quiet street

as I head for home.

Copyright© 2020 by Cheryl Batavia

52 Comments

  1. Look around, there is a lot to see and you see more of it than most people do. Not only tha but you know what you’re looking at and can name it. It is apparent that you are full of joy.

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  3. I love the daytime fading moon Cheryl, I’m fascinated by the moon being in our daytime sky…

    Blue Sky Moon
     
    I do wonder why
    In our blue daylight sky
    You are wandering there
    Giving us your half stare
    From your comfy afternoon chair
    And not your usual midnight glare
    You, our beaming day time Moon
    With your cultured silver spoon
    Are you able to save us soon?
    From our poisoned gloom
    You, being so open and brave
    Without the cover of your shadowed wave
    Have you the united power source?
    And the cunning of a Trojan Horse

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      1. I thought the Edison/Ford estates were in Ft Myers. But I could be wrong…
        Have you ever taken that mystery train? It’s a lot of fun. Like a “who-done-it?” Dinner theater train ride.
        I love the west coast of FL. There is so much to explore and I love that you share it all here. We spend half the year in Naples. It’s pretty darn close to paradise!

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    2. Beck, yes, you are right about the Edison/Ford estates being in Ft. Myers. I used to pass through Naples when I traveled from the East coast on 75. I have spent some time in Naples, mostly hanging out on the pier, and I house-hunted in Naples before retiring to Sarasota. I lived in Miami Beach and Coconut Creek from 1995-2011, but I, too, have come to love the west coast of Florida!

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  15. Humid there as well. Ah facing this sticky atmosphere in the morning feels not that good for me.
    Unless you meet the nature in the purest of the forms after the nights sleep the aura is vibrant.
    Beautiful description and the cicadas 😆.
    Happy you are filling yourself with energy Cheryl 😊🌷💕

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    1. Kritika, thank you so much for reading and commenting. I am glad you enjoyed the poem. I like walking in the morning before it gets too hot. It will cool off and be less humid in October here. I hope you will also be getting some pleasant weather soon. All the best! Cheryl

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  18. Wonderful descriptions of a beautiful and vibrant natural environment! Favourite lines: “I am greeted by the sweet fragrance / of cabbage palms in bloom.” So unusual and scentsory!

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      1. It’s the same for me, and probably many others as well I suspect! A serene walk, we are lucky to experience them, they are the best. :)) Best wishes

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