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Silver moonlit ocean
Sandy walks with friends
Night diving into black waves
Heat lightning jumping clouds

Phosphorescent boat rides

Smoke from Dad's charcoal grill 

Lore of the old Tomoka
Catching minnows with our hands

Beach-wind tousled hair
Tan lines on my shoulders
Smell of salty, humid air
Cold fried chicken in the cooler

Crisp December breezes
Mountain biking in the Hammock
Micanopy's ginger lemonade
Coquina-faced St. Augustine

Tubing down crystal springs
Cypress stumps at the bank
Grassy rivers of Paynes Prairie
Dark downpours at 3 o'clock

Grapefruit trees hanging low
Gators at the dock
Cicadas singing in the heat
Katydids after dark

Grits with butter on the table
My handsome little man
Chasing tidepool periwinkles
Making castles with wet sand

Stinging nettles at my ankles
Blinking stars in jars at night
Brave chameleons shaded by my hammock
Oak branches dipped with spanish moss

Turtle, frog legs and fried gator
Steak 'n Shake for lunch
Hush puppies served with surfer smiles
Watching waves from Snack Jack's table

Manatees and blue herons
Easter Sunrise Mass
The boardwalk lit with carousels
Jimmy Buffet cover bands

Lazy, open, big front porches
Publix subs in sandy flip flops
Pickled eggs in corner-store glass containers
Pickup trucks three times my height

Seven Mile Bridge over turquoise waters

Mangrove islands leaping from the shore
Hatchling turtles by the thousands
Sunrise, sunset: coast-to-coast.

My backyard river