The Celery Farm
By Dave Payne

In Allendale, The Celery Farm is such a wondrous jewel.
Stiles Thomas told mayor FitzPatrick: “To build here would be cruel.
We’ll raise the funds and buy it, keep a natural preserve.
I think the people need it, and the wildlife deserve.”

The raucous Red-Winged Blackbird, and a Frog among the reeds,
The song of Yellow Warblers, tending to their nestlings’ needs,
The twilight song of Robins, Cardinals call as they hunt seeds,
Saving this grand symphony, one of Stiles greatest deeds!

Jim Wright and Jerry Barrack, they have played a big part too,
By writing several picture books, which will sure inspire you.
It’s o’er one hundred acres now, and in its natural state.

I hope that this bodes very well, what e’er its long term fate.
Lake Appert is chock full of fish, that Ospreys like to eat.
The Herons and the Egrets consider them a treat.
Swallows nest quite readily, in pipes stuck in the lake.
There’s a Prothonotary Warbler, and a Snipe for Heavens sake!

Shovelers, Widgeons, Ruddy Ducks, Mergansers, Green-winged Teals,
They stop by while in migration, to rest and have some meals.
We have seen two Bitterns here, and a Glossy Ibis too.
And Fox and also White-tailed deer will often wander through,

In Springtime, life begins anew, my favorite time of year.
Birds build their nests, the flowers bloom, and leaves start to appear.
Listen…there’s an Oriole, warbling high up in the tree,
If you need some peace of mind, this is the place to be!