We are staying a few blocks from the margin
Where the houses front on the canals draining swampland
Leading out to the Caloosahatchee River
Dredged and straightened to drain Okeechobee Lake.
We are renting a house for January.
Our neighbors are working class
Latinos and African Americans mostly
With some retirees mixed in.
The open bed trailer trucks go by on Route 80
Filled with harvested oranges in a huge mound
Turning north towards Arcadia on Route 31
Where we saw them gathered on our way here.
The pickup trucks drive by our house starting around 6 AM
Going to work jobs to make ends meet.
The children gather at the corner by our house
Getting on the school bus at 5 minutes to 8.
We are up early, too.
That is our way.
But we are planning our day of leisure.
We are exploring the natural areas all around us
Anywhere we can get to in an hour or less.
We have been to 24 different preserves and parks
Seen wildlife up close and personal
Taking many photographs and some videos, too.
We have counted 101 different species of birds.
This is a good place to weather the storms up north
Warm enough but not too hot to enjoy being outside.
We read about Juno the blizzard from afar
Remembering the times when we were snowed in.
We have no plan past the winter.
We are getting our bearings, gathering our thoughts
Considering what we will do next
When we return to the northeast in spring.
