Salt Run to Fort Matanzas

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GTMNERR

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Gray Cold Day St Augustine Beach and Old City

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Jenny Lane

The vacation rental listing didn’t say

The owner runs a weapons sales business

Supplying military hardware shipped from out back

Guarded by a jeep with a show machine gun mounted.

Looking across the yard from where we park

There are stacks of land mines sitting on boxes.

Inside the open garage next to where we park

There are piles of machine gun mounts.

I was told there are several hundred semi-automatic rifles

In the owner’s collection in his house.

He has a license to import munitions, weapons

And all types of vehicles including tanks.

He has prepared for Armageddon somewhat laughably

Stashing a horde of peanut butter and pickles.

I try not to think about what he thinks about in his man cave.

I try to compartmentalize and forget what I see.

Looking out our front window to the dock on the lake

There’s a brass cannon in my field of view

That might be picturesque in another setting.

I try to ignore it, to crop it out of sight.

Walking down the road I see many fenced yards

Driveways barred by locked gates, guard dogs

Running loose in the street, signs posted

“Trespassers will be shot, survivors shot again.”

There’s a gate on this driveway with a warning

“Secured by ADT” and more such signs

Posted in the windows of the buildings.

Evidently the owner doesn’t feel safe here.

What is the mentality that feels so threatened

Fearing what possible scary intruders?

We don't lock our rental house here but we don’t worry.

We’re glad we’ll soon be moving on.