The Local Historian

by Leah L. Cole

Dixie lived across from the Kitty Night House
Just south of the Mason Dixon line.
She was 79 the summer I met her.
Dixie ran a fish store in her basement and
A water garden in her back yard.
Dixie knew all of her customers and
Kicked back at the end of the day with a
Glass of cold beer in her hand.
She could tell the stories of everyone
In the Earleville area.

My daddy spent his summers there
Swimming in the bay,
Fishing in Pearce's Creek,
And could tell about the time when
The water was clear enough to earn
Crystal Beach its name.
Now the water is greenish
And I can't see my feet or the bottom
And Dixie only knows my family
By my mom, as
"That lady from Pennsylvania
Who buys water lilies and
Likes to talk."

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