The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Florida turned my world upside down. I never expected a swamp to be so magical. Black, glassy waters, deceptive reflections, and lush flora inspired the poem below. Enjoy and check out photos from my visit!

Ambling in emerald light,
My steps echo on a boardwalk of ancient trees.

The corkscrew swamp breathes in my air,
It is equally aware.

The serenity is hard to capture,
When all the swamp’s a glimmer.

Still, it’s worth a try…

But, the wind slips through your fingers,
A sunbeam sparkles in your eyes.

It makes me wonder,
Where does true beauty lie?
Surely, not just within the eye of the beholder.

You see,
It’s not the butterfly that twinkles by,
but the search to find it again.

It’s not the perfect mirror of still swamp water,
but the ripples that snap you back to reality.

I wonder if that day, inside that obsidian reflection,
Simultaneously beneath and above the looming cypresses,
one world met another.

I looked into the water and saw
My reflection’s eyes puzzling back at mine,
asking the same question:

Which reality is reality?

I touched the mirror.
I had to know what was true.

That was when I saw her wink–
My likeness, rippling and distorted…

Was it the trickster swamp winking,
Or was it just a precisely timed glint of sunlight–
An evanescent moment of beauty,

Leading  to an even more beautiful question?