Still Charming after All these Years

Opening Spring Fling in Florida – Part 3 of 3

South of Jacksonville,
Northeast coast of Florida
Sits St. Augustine.

Colonized by Spain,
Oldest city in U.S.,
Briefly British ruled.

Flagler spurred its growth,
Menendez spread religion;
Their legacy shows.

If you missed:
Part 1
Part 2

Opening Spring Fling in Florida

Part 1 of 3

My family and I had our own mini-celebration just a week before Major League Baseball’s Opening Day on March 29th. We went for a brief visit to Florida, where we stayed with friends and, among other things, went boating in Kissimmee, bopped around in Orlando, and enjoyed the beaches and downtown sites of historic St. Augustine. This was our way of welcoming the new season with faces turned to the sun and arms open wide to embrace the warm weather (even though we experienced two more nor’easters upon our return home). Not to be deterred, our recent memories of good times mixed with  sunny days and beautiful evenings will be presented here and in the next two posts. It’s just a reminder for those up north that spring will soon feel like spring!

Kiss-a-me, Why Don’t Ye?
Water-sprayed hair,
Laughter fills the air,
As old friends toast,
Listening to Margaritaville
And other oldies from the ‘70s,
Eighties, and 90s,
O, Sun, kiss-a-me,
Why don’t ye?

Part 2
Part 3

Afterwar

Image: Pixabay

Brother-in-arms
Greeted with open arms,
Briefly disarmed
By disarming the ones you love.

But nighttime sounds of armaments
Break through the arms of Morpheus;
Can’t keep the memories of war
At arm’s length.

Thank you for your service*
And how you brought us peace,
Shouldn’t we do more
To help pick up your pieces?

 *Title of a thought-provoking movie, which is inspired by true events. The film follows four soldiers returning home from Iraq and their struggles in trying to settle back into civilian life. Main cast: Miles Teller, Amy Schumer, Haley Bennett, Scott Haze, and Beulah Koale