Once upon a time in a place far away,
Lived a tiny little town on the Chesapeake Bay.
Two roads in and no way out,
Water, water everywhere of this there was no doubt.
In summer time the place to be,
Was on a speck of an island, part of the county.
The Islander to be exact
'Twas heaven on Earth and that's a fact.
A restaurant, marina and motel too,
Its most precious asset was its million-dollar view.
Mathewsonians oft gathered on the fourth of July,
To watch the fireworks climb upwards in the starlit sky.
But the best part of all, the thing that was unique,
Boats would anchor all around at the mouth of Queens Creek,
All around Milford Haven and Hills Bay too
There were so many boats it was a nautical zoo.
Big boats, sailboats, work boats, skiffs,
Huddled patiently in the darkness waiting for a whiff
Of the fireworks and night air, a marriage meant to be,
Add some salt and mix thoroughly with the aromas of the sea.
When the show was finally over, and all was said and done,
All the boats lined up and slowly left, one by one.
Down the creek folks gently cruised squinting eyes to barely see,
Where the heck the dock was--it was dark as dark could be!
Once upon a time, a long time ago,
Lived a wonderful tradition and a spectacular show.
Over time as things have changed,
The fireworks show was rearranged.
And now they have it at the high school.
The End.
p.s. I wrote this in under 15 minutes, so please don't confuse it with any serious attempt at writing, much like any other thing I slap up here on any given day.
I really miss the Islander, for more reasons than this, but July 4th punctuates it so very well.
Here's wishing everyone a great 4th of July. In honor of our nation's birthday I am giving myself the night off this evening and won't post until later in the day on Saturday.
Can't break my streak of
22 comments:
Well, Happy 4th July to you and yours, fireworks or no fireworks!!
You deserve a break. Take two! Haha. Silly me. And write some more poetry for us.....some of the best things are done on the spur of the moment!
It is just an ordinary weekend here..very ordinary, with extraordinarily STRONG westerly WINDS. I was a little nervous hanging up the washing on the first fine day, under all the gum trees...watching them SWAY in the VERY STRONG WIND. I hoped that somebody might come looking for me if one fell on me...I wonder how long I would have to wait?
That was grand and should be put in the paper so the owners know how much we miss the place.
Annie-Enjoy your ordinary weekend but stay away from those trees! If I don't hear from you, I'll book a flight over there. Not sure how long that will take but I understand a day will be lost, so you might want to have a back-up emergency plan.
Anonymous-That was churned out so hastily (much like everything else I write on here). If I dwell on reading and editing it, I'd end up changing the whole thing. Anyway, thank you.
That Islander has so much potential with such a beautiful location. It really served a meaningful purpose here in so many ways, not the least of which was the pool in the summer time. And such a great place for out of town guests to stay.
So many fond memories were born there.
Now that's some change that stinks. Happy 4th to you and yours.
Arghhh maties, did someone mention a lagoon full of boats with maidens waiting to be pillaged?
SMBSP
(Single Male Blog Stalking Pirate)
Have a fun and safe 4th and 5th ...and all the rest too ...
Fireworks here on the Hudson but we wont be able to 'see' it, thanks Donald Trump for building your frickin' huge and ugly building which block the view ...
I hate change when it messes with something good.
Have a nice relaxing 4th of July weekend. Watch out for PJB, he loves to stir things up on holidays.
I will be decked out in my patriotic shirt, and so will JJ so we can show our colors on the parade sidelines.
We had our wedding reception (sit down dinner and all) at the Islander. It's a shame to see it closed--can't believe someone could not reopen it and make a go of it.
MPM-yep.
Dear Stalking Pirate-Maybe you would like to meet Ms.SeaBreeze who evidently is donning her best pirate attire this weekend. I'm sure she wouldn't mind being stalked as long as you do it remotely from those several states which separate you from us.
Daryl-That's one thing you won't have to worry about here. No tall buildings to be found, unless you count the forest fire watch tower in the woods along Rte. 14. Or perhaps the lighthouse.
GJ-Please post photos of your festive attire, and don't injure that knee of yours any further. That means you'll have to hold back from dancing in the streets.
Native Devil-I agree, absolutely. I suppose that would take a great deal of money to refurbish it, but still the potential for income is enormous.
It's a gorgeous day here. Gorgeous.
Why not take up a collection at Blogfest and buy the Islander. I can see it now...
Thirty hearty souls from around the globe meander into Mathews County for the inaugural LIM Blogfest.
After much fun and frivolity, CBW, or "Matriarch of the Fest" as she is known by all, proclaims that she wants the visitors to stay forever. "Such an eclectic, culturally diverse group of fun-loving people should never part company," she says. So the Matriarch of the Fest passes the hat around and magically collects $600,000, enough for a 20% down payment on the Islander.
"I was saving this money for a divorce, in case I ever get married," one Blogfester says with a smile as she drops $5000 in the hat.
After much finagling with a local bank a mortgage is acquired, and the Blogfesters eagerly begin the work of restoring the Islander and Narrow's Marina to their former glory. They work hard all day and party into the night. They live like gypsies in tents, on borrowed boats and even in a few reserved the rooms at the hotel.
In the beginning, the marina serves as a constant source of income, though not enough to cover the mortgage; but, after a few months, the restaurant reopens; a few months later, the motel and the pool.
In time, curious, celebrities who hear about this community of gypsies just show up from nowhere and hand over money and never think twice about it. Johnny Depp drifts by to drop off a box of chocolates; Letterman and Conan get into a bidding war to host their respective shows once a year from "Dockside at the Islander"; and, the funk-rock band Downbeat Switch finally makes the big-time when Randy Jackson, who happens to be visiting friends that live on Gwynn's Island for a week, hears the songs "Chesapeake Deadrise" and "swigasweetea".
In the end, Blogfesters live happily ever after, with honorable "comeherer" status "to boot".
Yeah!
MMM-Excellent. Now, if you sell those coffee beans of yours and donated the proceeds (which ought to be sizeable based on the effect they seem to have), this enclave of blogging gypsies could simply buy the entire island, close down the bridge and blog happily ever after. (Johnny Depp would not be allowed off the island.)
Or something like that.
See I haven't had enough coffee this morning, and all I can get is 8 o'clock coffee.
Bravo!
After MMM's comment, which was almost as wonderdul as your poem and post...I am rendered speehless...which is hard to do.
Hope you have a wonderful 4th!
Chris-Thanks.
Living on the Spit-I'd say his comment was far better than my silly poem. The secret must be in the coffee beans. Looking foward to having you joing the blogging band of gypsies here soon.
Arrrgggg, maybe Ms Seabreeze & I will have to compare chests of gold or maybe see who has the bigger peg-leg :)
SMBSPirate
Nice prose MMM, always enjoy a good story!
smbs
AND NOW THEY HAVE IT AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, THE END.
BWAAAAAHAAHAHA!
We're bringing the pyrotechnics to the end of our street. It's easier than driving someplace to watch 'em with a sea of humanity. Though if I could watch 'em from a boat? I surely would prefer that.
Have fun!
Stalking Pirate-She's at HarborFest in Norfolk today but I'm sure she will be thrilled to know she's being stalked from afar.
Meg-Have fun tonight.
"That was grand and should be put in the paper so the owners know how much we miss the place."
Ditto. I haven't been anywhere near there for 20 years but it remains one of my favorite places on the entire planet. This, all the way from the high desert of New Mexico. Many of my favorite childhood memories took place there.
I sent the link for your Islander poem to my kids who grew up going out for the evening cruise to the Islander to watch the fireworks on the fourth. I loved it - you need to take more credit for your clever way with words! We took the boat up Stutts Creek this year to watch the HS fireworks - not quite the same, but it was OK. I can't claim to have had my wedding reception at the Islander, but I did have my wedding night supper there! It makes me sad to pass by it now - what a great opportunity for someone with vision and pots of $$$$$!
Kevin and Anonymous - Thanks for your kind words. There just was no place like that Islander and though I saw fireworks this year, it just was not the same. How could it be?
Anyway, thanks again. - cbw
Love the poem. The last line made me make donkey noises.
Almost bought into MMM's seductive fantasy until this line: "and magically collects $600,000"
which REALLY made me make donkey noises.
But I do know a world-class kitchen designer. Just sayin'.
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