Florida
From a huge rock
we slide our shiners down to Colubis—
the name we’ve given
to this green water snake—
who swivels through a garden
of lilies and hyacinths.
Gazing beyond this pond
to the lake
I see the endangered Florida mallard,
and I think back
to the vanishing birds of my youth:
white irises, blue herons,
and hundreds of brown pelicans
on pilings, asleep like students
in a lecture hall.
We waded in springs
not far from here as kids,
where waters pushed up
the foot bones of extinct birds,
even those of the flightless
Titanis walleri
as well as fossils
from rhinos, camels, mastodons
and the Megalodon Shark.
But nothing in Florida’s past
dazzles us like this:
our gift flashing sideways
in Colubis’ dark mouth.
Watching his long, graceful
coiling body
I recall how we too
used to swim in the lake,
our bodies sliding green
and dark under the waters
like leviathans.
note: This is an old poem that I've expanded significantly. An earlier, abbreviated version, very different and with a different emphasis ,was published decades ago under a different title.
Florida
Re: Florida
I like this poem because of the feeling of youth. I was a child when I lived in Florida. It is a place of wonder, the Fountain of Youth was sought there. The N is older yet acting like a child. Wonderful.
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Re: Florida
Thanks, Billy. I grew up in Florida but I have only a few poems to show for it. Thx for the enthusiasm. The short version of this poem was written long, long ago in college.