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During the month of February I had the privilege of
guiding two Manatee Original Play trips on the west coast of
Florida
. During both trips students
and teachers had the chance to play with West Indian manatees.
Below is a poem written by 5th- 8th graders
from
Phoenix
Academy
following their annual trip. The
poem is a great description of their play experience with the manatees.
6 AM
Tired, cold, wet
Foggy, grey mist
Whispers
Cutting through the black water
Still
Birds calling
Ducks diving
3 Sisters-clear but empty
Where are the manatees?
Discouraged, cold
Lost in the fog
Where are we going?
Search the water for signs
Finally, we see one!
Drop anchor!
Hearts pounding
Scramble for masks
Find the snorkels
Dreading the cold water
Scared-they’re so huge!
1, 2, 3-in
Deep breath, find your buddy, push off
Murky water
Stringy seaweed
Where’s the bottom?
Where are they?
Is that a rock?
It’s a moving rock
Slowly, coming closer
I stop breathing
I’ve got butterflies
It’s so huge!
And-touch!
It feels like a water balloon
A leather couch with moss all over it
Soft
Bristly
Slimy
Gentle giants
Innocent
Hypnotizing
I couldn’t talk
I wanted to talk to it!
I relaxed
I felt at peace
We’re all the same
We’re all connected
I wasn’t there – I was one of them
It was like a teddy bear
A puppy
We rolled and played
I feel special, like I found a little brother I never had
There’s nothing else quite like it
Now I understand why we play
To take things and put them back as positive
Proud, satisfied
Why does it have to end?
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