'Nuf Said...

My brother, Michael, three years older and wiser,knows me well enough to see that I have a very quirky side to my personality.
There are times when I become philosophical.
My friends rely on my good judgment and advice.
There are other occasions when I become 'off the wall',
meaning, my proclivity for crazy poetry kicks in.
It's pretty freaky how easily I can write the stuff..
Totally “swamp” poetry as Michael calls it.
My nickname is “Swampette.”

Dear Michael thinks I should wax poetic, let my hair down a bit.
If you're ready, here goes,with apologies to bro:


Spike and Mike

There once was a feller named Michael
Who hopped on his three-wheeled bicycle
He took off like a bat
Spun out and went splat
On ol' lady Greevy's fat cat.

Spike stretched and reeled
Burped loud and clear
The poisoned dinner flew out
Twenty feet to the rear.

Spike stared up at Michael with a toothless grin
Much like Ol' lady Greevy after her gin
Eyeing the bike with his head in a spin
Spike took off like a bat with Mike's bike in tow
Spun out and went splat on ol' lady Greevy's fat toe.

Cat's have nine lives don'tcha know
But Spike who was dumb
Lost count ages ago
And for Spike, at last
This was the end of the show.


Swampette

Ashes, Ashes..

The wildfire in the Big Cypress Preserve in the Everglades continues to burn, shutting down Alligator Alley for the second consecutive day,and possibly,through to Monday. Containment is about 30%.
Tuesday morning's thunderstorm over the 'Glades triggered a lightning strike.

My first thought when hearing of this disaster was to think that someone's careless cigarette had been flipped out of a car window.
Unfortunately, that action is a common sight, and wasn't beyond the realm of possibility.

The Everglades span the entire southern half of Florida. Over a million and a half acres, with a maximum elevation of no more than ten feet above sea level, the Everglades is the largest subtropical wetland in North America. This massive watershed provides a subtropical refuge for unique wildlife and endangered species.

I've taken Loop Road 29 which draws you through a corridor of hardwood trees.
On one side, the vast prairies stretch out almost endlessly.
Great White Herons and other bird species share the saw grass marshlands with their neighbor, the alligator. It's also reported that some 30,000 Burmese python now inhabit areas of the Everglades.
On the opposite side of the loop road, Blue Night Herons, Egrets and Ibis roam the deep forest sanctuaries.

The Big Cypress Preserve has always been a favorite photographic junket of mine. There's an amazing solitude that prevails, a wonderful peace, with only the chants of wildlife breaking the silence.

When something as devastating as fire engulfs and threatens people's lives
and homes, or rages through a precious ecosystem such as the Everglades, it saddens me.