beneath my palm-trees ..
sat a weeping – no one to
ask me why I wept …
Beneath my palm-trees, by the river side,
I sat a weeping: in the whole world wide
There was no one to ask me why I wept,
And so I kept
Brimming the water-lily cups with tears
Cold as my fears.
Beneath my palm-trees, by the river side,
I sat a weeping: what enamoured bride,
Cheated by shadowy wooer from the clouds,
But hides and shrouds
Beneath dark palm-trees by a river side?
Song of the Indian Maid by John Keats as published in The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900 (Oxford, 1919).
On Labor Day, my wife and I walked through the Widgeon Point Preserve on Lemon Island in Port Royal Sound in the heart of the South Carolina Low Country.
As it says on the park website, A hiking loop travels the perimeter of the adjacent hummock island. The loop is a wide, flat nature trail that travels through pines, palms, and oak trees. Views of the river can be seen from several different vantage points. The various coastal habitats of Widgeon Point Preserve support a rich diversity of wildlife and plants. Visitors have extraordinary opportunities to observe the natural beauty of the Lowcountry.
It had just rained and the muddy path was filled with little mud marsh crabs that gave you the feeling that the path itself was alive.
It was a extraordinary opportunity to observe.
And also an opportunity to learn.
We knew we lived in the low country of South Carolina.
We knew we lived in Beaufort County, South Carolina.
But we didn’t know that Beaufort County is SO LOW that during high tide, up to 50% of Beaufort County is under water.
Pine, palms and live oaks.
A muddy, forest path
And make sure its low tide.
No Haiku For You 