Everglades Morning Poem by Liilia Talts Morrison

Slow summer dawn nudges a mourning dove brood
White ibises gather to forage for food
In snowy assurance proud egrets alight
Their liquid reflection a graceful delight
Slim wading birds carefully survey the swamp
Where crocodile death jaws are waiting to chomp

This camp in the wild is my last hope to find
Some meaning and purpose in life’s painful grind
I watch from a hammock of canvas and rope
Estranged from emotions, unable to cope
Yet creatures around me with vigor display
A dignified courage in nature’s harsh fray

My rambling, how different - fear follows each stride
Evading broad highways I cower wayside
Ungainly days shrivel like Glade grass to fold
As tropical darkness turns weeds into mold
How can I gain courage from Everglade ways
Rise high with bold saw stalks in trade winds to sway?

Anhingas now flutter and settle on shrubs
Dispelling black thoughts that infest me like grubs
Perhaps I can linger and hide in a cay
Absorb ancient secrets of herons at play
Watch wood storks and otters impart trust and skill
Blend in with creation as God does his will.