"My Winter Haven"
Michael Hancock
Its mid-spring nineteen seventy three
Spanish moss hangs from our old oak tree
The month of May the red bugs bite
On Avenue H we’ll be flying kites
Southern belles, parasols and petticoats
Among cypress trees and motor boats
Lake Martha swimming in the summer heat
Many photographic images become ours to keep
Blue Devils rage with passion and desire
Marching band, drums and cannons fire
Andy’s Igloo for a dog and cone
Friendly people make you feel at home
For the weekend it’s the Ritz on Main
Then one hundred lakes linked like a chain
Playing marbles in alleys made of clay
Creature Feature rounds out most Saturdays
Avenue I in the white stucco home
The place this boy’s heart once roamed
Collecting avocados as my grandma sings
It’s to all those thoughts that I will cling
My Winter Haven is always a special place you see
Because those childhood memories remain with me
