Kilmarnock, Virginia

An update on our Kilmarnock journey: my husband and daughter went back to prepare our house for marketing and saw a “for sale” sign on the adjacent waterfront property. For more than two decades, we have watched, hoped and prayed for those 2 acres to become available, and now the purchase process has begun. The final piece of the puzzle has fallen into place to make our land the most desirable 45 acres on the Northern Neck. I look forward to the next step.

I watched you through two decades
of awkward stages, little town. I knew you
before the first public playground,
the Boys and Girls Club, and the YMCA,
when newcomers wrenched you into growth,
through the agony of your first super store,
the struggle with power lines and sinkholes,
the late-night committee meetings dealing
with sidewalk pavers and street lights.
I once saw a man standing alone
in a Main Street art studio, waiting in vain
for local visitors. Today, known for galleries
and public art, you are the crossroads
of Southern charm, adorned with bijou hotels,
flowering plants, Little Free Libraries,
dance studio murals, and sidewalk cafes.
Through all this, you managed to hang on
to your identity, finding the pearls hidden
in your oysters, the gems in your heritage,
ready to embrace whatever your future holds.
I predict a film festival.

Via #dVerse, #BartBarkerChallenge, #one-liner-Wed

Learn more about Kilmarnock.

Kilmarnock Main Street, 1996