A Trade and a Bet
Most Floridians, statistically,
were born someplace else
and it’s easy to see why this is.
The beaches, the sunshine,
and the quality of living
are all very appealing features.
Snowdrifts in February?
Not in Florida.
Everyone who trades in their life
in other places
for Florida’s sun and sand
could easily be excused
for wanting to have these things
until the day they die.
But every Floridian
also makes a bet
that the hurricanes will
never actually find them.
Climate change is a real thing
(though some choose to deny it)
and the storms will continue getting bigger
and more frequent
in the years to come.
Many will win out
and never have to pay off
on their bets,
while those who lose
might see everything they have
disappear in a matter of hours.
Though everybody wins with their trade
not everybody will lose their bet,
as Florida’s insurance prices
keep moving ever upward.
