Taking in the Everglades
First I took in expanses of sawgrass bending in wind.
Then I fingered the sharp teeth that give it its name.
Yesterday at a shallow edge, I found tangles, strands
of small leaves, green flowerets. I pinched
and rubbed, breathed a lemony complex scent,
asked a ranger for its name: lemon bacopa. Edible.
Today I wade in, gather a handful of scented clusters,
open dark bread, place a layer of leaves over cheese,
make literal what I have whispered to myself—
I’m taking it into me, taking it in—pungent kick
to the familiar, lemon bite on the tongue.
Anne McCrary Sullivan is a Florida Master Naturalist and an avid canoeist. She is author of a book of poems, a memoir, and co-author of two books on the Everglades. Read more.
“Taking in the Everglades” appeared in Ecology II: Throat Song from the Everglades (WordTech Editions, 2009).