Welcome To Earth

“Welcome to Earth”

I’d say with a smile.

“Are you here long?

Can you stay for a while?

I have no idea,

What your world is like,

But I'd like to invite you,

To go on a hike.

Come smell the flowers,

Come touch the trees,

Come hear the birds,

And pet the soft bees.

Earth’s many wonders,

I cannot convey,

But you picked the right place,

To visit today.

The earth is quite vast,

But Alaska’s the place,

For mountains and glaciers,

And rain on your face.

The ocean behind us,

The peaks up ahead.

Come hold my hand,

Through the forest we’ll tread.

Do you like berries?

There’s many at hand,

They fill fields and forests,

Throughout this land.

From our wild strawberries,

Delicious and small,

To bright orange salmonberries,

The biggest of all.

There’s blueberry patches,

That go on for miles.

And thimbleberry patches,

That always bring smiles.

The Watermelon berries,

Grow low to the ground.

And lower still,

Nagoon berries are found.

There's cranberries and crowberries,

To just name a few.

A big wild fruit salad,

Is waiting for you.

There's edible flowers,

All through the springs,

Dandelions and forget-me-nots,

Are delicious things.

Oh, look there’s a fireweed!

Our tallest flower,

It counts down the summer,

Nearly hour by hour.

See that huge plant,

That's too big to hide?

That's a Skunk Cabbage,

It's leaves a foot wide.

Do you like ferns?

Let one brush your face,

They're soft and they’re green,

Like plants made of lace.

Do you like trees?

Ours tower on high,

Spruce, pines and Cedars,

Fill up the sky.

There’s Alder and Cottonwood,

Birch, Willow and Ash.

In their tall branches,

The squirrels hide their stash.

Far below their high branches,

Mushrooms can be found.

On the damp forest floor,

The fungi abound.

There’s dozens of kinds,

Here deep in the wood.

Some quickly kill you,

But others are good.

Do you like fish?

Many kinds fill our waters,

They sustain life,

For seals and for otters.

There’s Salmon and Halibut,

Trout, Dollies and more.

They can be caught,

from boats and from shore.

Our crabs and our prawns,

Are second to none.

They make a fine meal,

When a long day is done.

Do you like birds?

We’ve no shortage in sight.

An assortment of creatures,

In Alaska take flight.

There's great, mighty eagles,

That soar oh so high,

And small, gentle ducks,

That just like to float by.

There’s geese and there’s ravens,

Songbirds and crows.

Blue Jays and woodpeckers,

I’ve seen many of those.

There’s Magpie and Ptarmigan,

Puffins and Cranes.

And so many more,

From Fairbanks to Haines.

Do you like mammals?

Well, we’ve got those too!

Check out that Marmot,

He's looking at you!

We have massive bears,

In black, brown and white.

Some are so gentle,

Others kill you on sight.

There’s tall mighty moose,

Who fearlessly graze,

And tiny, small shrews,

Who hide all their days.

There’s deer and there’s wolves,

Foxes and hares.

Goats, Lynx, and Elk,

Who don’t seem to have cares.

Oh, look up that tree!

See that spiky brown bunch?

Well, that is a Porcupine,

Enjoying his lunch.

They’re gentle and cute,

But don’t try to pet

Their spikes are a thing,

You're sure to regret.

There’s so many things,

That live in this land,

I'm grateful to join them,

Do you understand?

Is your world very warm?

On the mountains there’s snow,

In the winter we get it,

Down here below.

It's white and it’s fluffy,

As it gently falls.

Though sometimes it’s vicious,

During wild winter squalls.

It turns the whole world,

A sparkling white.

A thick blanket on the forest,

Is a beautiful sight.

It's like there’s two worlds,

Here to be seen.

One cold and white,

One warm and green.

All those who live here,

Enjoy both in their way.

There’s nothing quite like

A brisk winter’s day.

There’s much of the world,

I could try to explain.

There’s cities and countries,

Too many to name.

There's people and cultures,

Both near and far.

Well worth the visit,

By boat, plane and car.

But I am one person,

And we have one day.

So I wanted to show you,

The place that I stay.

Please travel the world,

There's so much to see,

But I chose to show you,

What's special to me.

I hope you enjoyed it,

I hope you return.

To tell of your travels,

And what you did learn.

Thank you for coming,

I’ve had a great day.

I really do hope,

You enjoyed your stay.

Please think of this land,

When you return home.

I’ll think of you,

When the forests I roam.

Feel free to write,

If that’s something you do.

It’s been oh so nice,

To spend time with you!”