Step into the unknown, exploration of Deering Mangroves

Photograph of doula, Sheila Simms-Watson as the ‘mother,’ an eternal figure of love, strength and symbol of refuge within the landscape of the mangroves.

By Meg Wallace

Surges of energy rush through my body and captivate my mind

Time stands still as I walk into this other world

The morning sun peeks through the brilliant green canopy

While dappled brown and grey roots span the gnarled ground

Grand spires pushing life and mystery up from the mire

Water dances through the maze in constant ebb and flow

Sparkling reflections mirror off the puddles of briny water

Sweet smells of salty air mix with gentle breeze

Creaking branches rustling and birds singing their joy

Echoes blowing in the wind flood her inner sanctuary

As she silently listens to her children’s song

She longs to tell her story to any soul daring to enter her motherly fold

Yet must wait for her offspring to climb upon her mangrove lap

And rest their head on her heartbeat to proclaim her verdant tale

Meg Wallace is a Miami based artist native to South Florida. Wallace’s art interweaves her passion to empower humanity with her penchant to preserve nature. She works across various artistic mediums including painting, photography, poetry, abstract installations, plaster and masonry. The visceral nature of Meg’s work is meant to form connection, spark imagination, and challenge perception. Her current body of work contemplates the natural rhythms and forms of the mangrove forests surrounding the Deering Estate and much of the South Florida coastline. It tells the story of the maternal power and grace found in nature.