Our town has so many beautiful offerings.  The crossovers to the beach are an amazing place to watch the ocean and pay attention to the beautiful hammocks and dunes we have here.  The boardwalk at Manatee Sanctuary Park offers a wonderful view of the river and the mangroves.  Watch the sunset from one, and the sunrise from the other.  Mix it up, as the colors and wildlife change throughout the day.  Also, our community garden, Kairos, is situated just between the two.  Be sure to stop and see what is growing. 

This is a free verse poem, so there is no set rhyme or meter.  It incorporates our own unique ecology and represents the wonderful balance between nature and humans in our community.  

From the Crossover and Boardwalk, Smiling

A skein of sea grapes in the hammock
Forms a welcoming arch
Live oaks create a carpet of acorns
And pollen settles on the path
Unfolding flawlessly into the dune
Where glory vines unfurl their first
Violet flowers of the season
Mason bees swarm the palmettos
And blooming palm trees in the breeze

Manatees curiously nudge the canoe
As a kayak frames the fiery sunset
Hoping to capture a serene still
To spread the story of life here
Watch as the dimming light fills
The onlookers’ eyes with wonder
For a future yet to come
For a future created by the community

A garden grows, glowing as a bright reminder
Of accomplishments only achieved together
A quick stop, providing nourishment and love before
Beginning a new day on the horizon
Where the sun spritzed dawn seems a given
And all will rise tomorrow
With glints in their eyes
Doing what they are able
To make a little difference each day 

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