Beyond the Edge of Everything
We were deep in the wilderness.
Some fifteen miles from the nearest road
Overcome with heat and exhaustion
Then it appeared on the water
Like a distant mirage,
Colors cast on the water like an impressionist painting.
With each stroke of our paddles
More of its shape and colors emerged
Soft hues of blue, yellow, red and silver forms
Slowly an island came into view
Canoes and kayaks circled its shore.
I knew we had come to the edge of everything,
We had come to the home of Dorothy, “The Root Beer Lady.”
With a smile and a steady hand
Dorothy helped us beach our canoe.
We quickly followed her up the embankment
To metal tanks laden with ice and filled with homemade root beer.
I thrust my hand into the cold water and pulled out a bottle.
We took our place among others like us
Making their way through the wilderness
As I rested and sipped this cool, sweet, effervescent concoction.
Time seemed to stand still
In this Shangrila-like moment I was spellbound by the laughter and joy around me.
Dorothy told stories that were hilarious yet also riveting.
I saw birds, perhaps the most beautiful I have ever seen, come to Dorothy.
Every size, shape, and color, many chose to perch themselves on her shoulder.
Here she was deeply alive, fused with every living thing.
Yet age and the rigor of wilderness life had taken its toll.
It was evident to me and others that her health was failing.
I was deeply saddened to read Dorothy had died.
As I mourned and grieved her passing
And the passing of that wonderful place she created.
Then I thought of the hundreds—if not thousands—of canoeists
Who over 20 years sojourned to Dorothy’s magical island of Oz
Exhausted, with a thirst beyond measure, we all left the island
With their thirst quenched and our souls renewed.
