Once upon a time this chain of smiling islands, was refered to as the los Martyrs, Now called the fabulous florida keys, it was a different picture once, before the aquaduct and electricity and the advent of air contditioning . The following is Jeffs take.

“Keys” to a different Door

As much as I tried to look beyond

Those places of which I was most fond,

I was blindsided by an unusual location

That most tourists go to for relaxation

It isn’t new but was to me

A refuge for varied souls in the sea.

Knowing only on of them an him just a little,

I found a working, family man but an enigma, a riddle.

It seem these “keys” attract a special kind

of character who lives a reality unlike mine,

On a subsistence level allowing a life

of seemingly minimal amounts of stress and strife.

Finding warmth beyond the weather,

I was pleasantly surprised and wondered whether

If  this envionment could be a tonic for me

After years of existing with daily uncertainty.

It would be nice to live for just a little while

In the sun and surf without concern for style.

But could a man like me, looking at the future,

spend time with a cat, an iguana, or a vulture?

                Jeff.