{"id":2007,"date":"2015-09-28T11:11:57","date_gmt":"2015-09-28T11:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reggiemorrisey.com\/?p=2007"},"modified":"2015-09-28T15:02:05","modified_gmt":"2015-09-28T15:02:05","slug":"2007","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reggiemorrisey.com\/?p=2007","title":{"rendered":"Naturally Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our affection for St. Petersburg, Florida, began in September 1995 as my husband and I settled into a garden apartment on a bayou by Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n

Wrenching as the move was from New York - leaving family and friends behind - from the beginning our stretch of Florida\u00a0 near the Gulf of Mexico commanded our attention for all the right reasons. <\/p>\n

Never mind the oddball news headlines crawling across the internet that\u00a0 cackle, \"Floriduh!\" Strange things happen in a state that draws people from every corner of the country and globe: (The luckless parachutist who landed in the middle of a mud-wrestling tournament at a mid-state bar is a prime example. )
\"Awkward,\" you mumble as you scroll such news. Life goes on.<\/p>\n

And what life! Nature is in charge. Every day. Clouds so towering I call them Florida's Alps; flowers so brilliant in color they gleam; birds of every luxurious ilk. <\/p>\n

And, where else but Florida can you stand cheek to jowl in a crowd to watch spacecraft blast off on missions that may change the course of human history; all the while feeling the power of such hopeful technology rumble under your feet. <\/p>\n

We even watched the plumb rise across the state from our dock.<\/p>\n

In honor of\u00a0our 20 years, I invite you to click a link below to hear a poem reflecting the natural fascination I felt - and still do - with the quirky, beautiful place. You can read one poem that has remained true ever since it was written.<\/p>\n

Headset on Winter 1995<\/a><\/p>\n

Wound Management Division August 1997<\/a><\/p>\n

Clyde Butcher<\/a><\/p>\n

Eclipsed<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday<\/h4>\n

by Reggie Morrisey, 1997<\/p>\n

\u201cMorning!\"
\u00a0\"Morning.\"
\u00a0Or a silent smile
\u00a0on the winding paths of North Shore Park.
\u00a0A pool crowd roars at butterfly trials
\u00a0as flocks of cyclists weave and dart.<\/p>\n

\"Morning!\"
\u00a0\"Morning.\"
\u00a0Or a jogger's huff
\u00a0where sea gulls,
\u00a0egrets, and small planes rise.
\u00a0Where pelicans brood over Coffee Pot
\u00a0and bank like DC9's.<\/p>\n

\"Morning!\"
\u00a0\"Good Day.\"
\u00a0\"Your baby came!\"
\u00a0As newborn palms on the sandy beach.
\u00a0As Dalmatians, retrievers, and terriers strain
\u00a0against the longest leash.<\/p>\n

Dolphins rule a swirling school.
\u00a0All high-wire abacus chirp and spy.
\u00a0Our soaring spirits mount the sky
\u00a0on shafts of sun lighting Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n

Pass the cast of a net,
\u00a0the snap of a rod,
\u00a0kites flung aloft over rolling blades.
\u00a0Palatial Vinoy and marina in sight,
\u00a0museums and pier mere moments away.<\/p>\n

Pass still, benched locals whose sighs observe,
\u00a0\"Same old, same old Saint Petersburg.\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Florida<\/a>

Florida Alps in Looking East by Vincent Mancuso<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our affection for St. Petersburg, Florida, began in September 1995 as my husband and I settled into a garden apartment on a bayou by Tampa Bay.Wrenching as the move was from New York – leaving family and friends behind – from the beginning our stretch of Florida\u00a0 near the Gulf of Mexico commanded our attention […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reggiemorrisey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reggiemorrisey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reggiemorrisey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reggiemorrisey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reggiemorrisey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2007"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.reggiemorrisey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2124,"href":"https:\/\/www.reggiemorrisey.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2007\/revisions\/2124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reggiemorrisey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reggiemorrisey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reggiemorrisey.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}