The warm weather inviting us outside
The extra hour of sunlight close to the tropics
The visible night sky expanse of stars
The subtle sounds audible in this quiet place
What I like most about being here
Even if there were not so many birds to see
Frequenting the cypress swamps
Interlaced with miles of boardwalks.
Where the gentle gulf water ripples the sand
The shorebirds gather searching the wrack
Little disturbed by the humans here collecting shells
As wintering over species mingle with the locals.
The tidal flats and lagoons that host a feeding frenzy
The waders and diving birds and raptors swooping down
All catching fish in a great display of hunger for life
Feeding in the minutes before ebb turns to flow.
Alone on the trails through the pine flatwoods
Where seldom another person may be seen or heard
We walk for hours taking in our surroundings
Letting the expanse of space expand our sense.
I am a quiet person by nature speaking softly
Content to be still in a moment of silence
Revealing what exists behind the commotion
Masked by machine noise and all that talking.
