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.
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
Gulf Coast Poet 