It’s been about two months since I’ve written my last poem. This will be number 244 that I have included in this blog. (See Poem  Category). My wife likens our new retirement home to a camp where she spends her mornings doing various activities like the dog park, water aerobics, yoga, tap classes, or just water walking. I go off and do my separate schedule of running, swimming, and writing. In the afternoons, while I try to retreat to the TV in my office, she plans what she calls “cabin activities,” that might include making a restaurant reservation or a field trip to a nearby historical sight. She’s very busy in her new retirement life…I’ve tried to capture it in this poem:

Camp Islandwalk

Imagine being a child,
Way back when.
Would you go back,
And live that life again?

Summers away from home,
With other kids like you.
New Friends to make,
So many things to do.

Activity schedules,
Swimming in the pools.
Canoeing in the river,
Fewer adult rules.

Games and singalongs,
Sneaking out at night.
Campfire smores,
Fresh air, starlight.

Ghost tales,
Scavenger hunts.
Talent shows.
High dive stunts.

The years have passed by,
We’ve grown more mature.
Or are we just like,
The kids we once were?

We no longer have jobs.
Just like back then.
School’s out,
We’re at camp once again.

Resort community,
Blue skies and sun.
We do what we want,
Days filled with fun.

Side-by-side cabins,
Retirement bliss.
Those working days,
We’ll never miss.

Pickle-ball matches,
A park for dogs.
But watch out for gators,
And thumbnail frogs.

Water aerobics,
Clubs for us each.
Tap dancing, yoga,
Or go to the beach.

Here we are in Venice,
Where life is good.
At Camp Islandwalk,
Our second childhood.

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