Don’t send me to an ocean beach

With barking seals and whales that breach,

Where sand gets caught between your toes

And seaweed rots. Oh, my poor nose!

Place me not on that artic ice

Though penguins find it pretty nice.

I’d complain about being cold

And surely would feel much too old.

You may like the scorching sands

Of desolate, dry desert lands,

But I’d whine about being hot,

And then complain and cry a lot.

I may enjoy an airplane flight

Even through the dark of night

To parachute, is not for me

For I might land amidst prickly tree.

Give me a forest dense with trees

Where shade keeps temps at cool degrees

Paths climb up , then twist around

Ascending to a higher ground.

Squirrels scamper to find a meal

Steller’s jays yell in loud appeal.

Tree leaves rustle in gentle breeze

Magical vistas, without cease.

That’s where I’d spend a summer day.

Read, relax and soft music play.

Close my eyes and take a nap

With blanket warm across my lap.

Summer’s good times are precious spent

To choose most wisely, we are meant.

Then fall arrives with rainy days

And winter hurries without delays.

Take me now to those mountains high

So I may gaze at that blue sky

And dream the dreams of freedom’s quest

While sitting back and getting rest.