IN FLORIDA
They come from everywhere,
By land, by sea and air,
The old, the young and fair—
And all without a care,
In Florida.
Just pause, my friend, and see
The multitudes that be
O’er lovely shore and lea;
They reach from sea to sea,
In Florida.
Look at the aged one,
Who shines like a little sun,
And feels himself undone,
If he played not golf and won,
In Florida.
His gouty feet must dance,
His eye will look askance,
And his mind make glad advance,
To reach five score, perchance,
In Florida.
Yes, let him have his wish
To feel the line’s quick swish,
And catch his finest fish
For his epicurean dish,
In Florida.
’Tis here he makes the stride;
There’s nothing he can’t ride,
With a maiden by his side—
Yet a few things must he hide,
In Florida.
The birds and trees here sing;
The prigs and plants upspring,
And each gets in the swing,
With Nature all a-wing,
In Florida.
Behold, my friend, the youth,
The forward, the uncouth;
The gentle and their ruth,
The beauty and the truth,
In Florida.
It’s like a moving stage,
The folk of every age;
No place nor cause for rage—
Even workless have their wage—
In Florida.
Then see the females all;
Alack! you rise or fall,
Or else your heart forestall,
In this moving, magic ball,
In Florida.
One great kaleidoscope,
From silk to dirt and dope,
From puppet to a pope,
This passing throng of hope,
In Florida.