The Legend
lives on
From the Seminole on down
Of the river they call the Kissimmee
The river they say
Did meander her way
To big waters they named Okeechobee
When summer rains arrived
The river would rise
The land was flooded by water
All nature rejoiced
With a singular voice-
The birds, the fishes and otters
The white man came
To the land he laid claim
For his cities, his farms and his ranches
Crops and cattle he grew
But if only he knew
Just how much he was taking his chances |
When the summer floods arrived
There were many lost lives
Many dreams were shattered and broken
The water was viewed
As a force to subdue
Many words about this were spoken
A plan was applied
To the river and tides
She no longer flowed and meandered
Life's cycle was changed
It no longer remained
The goddess of nature seemed angered
Where were the birds?
Songs were no longer heard
Where were the fishes and otters?
The river was now pooled
Had man been such a fool
To believe he could rule mother nature? |
How
can we reverse?
We must open our purse
And pay for mistakes thought improvements
The scientists were called
Engineers were enrolled
To restore the river's proud movements
Some day we will find
If we caught it in time
To revive the Kissimmee's life systems
The earth, it will tell
If we'll only be still
Pay attention to nature and listen
We must live by her rules
Be wise with our tools
And the world we will leave to our children
Captain
Robert K. Turpin
May 1999 |
Riverwoods
