Apparitions from the 904
An Oral Map on how to get Back…
Leaving Moncrief, take 95 to downtown. Head thru Lavilla, where Zora spent her early years. Drive thru the Eastside til you smell ya last blue crab boiling and see the last candy Donk on Six’s, probably glasshouse, certainly painted teal. Cut on over to 295, cross the St. John’s, past Brooklyn & Cosmo, where Duval seamlessly fades into Nassau. Drive until you sense the distinct smell of the Lowcountry marshes and the pluff mud deep beneath. If you weren’t already before, you’re now on Indigenous Geechee & Timucuan Land. Keep past Kingsley Plantation - drive slow enough in remembrance, just so you don’t forget. And should you see a figure in your peripheral, just know it’s them ushering you on your way.
When the live oak gets thick and the Spanish moss hangs at its lowest, turn into Franklintown - and should you need to, take some moss for yourself to ward off the haints. Once you pass the church, keep coasting thru the development upon stolen land, until you find yourself traveling back in time past the pastel colored dilapidated houses of yesteryear. And don’t look too fast either, because the devil is in the details; should you see a structure that feels out of place, know that it doesn’t belong there and it was never welcomed.
When you get to Nana, the tallest sand dune overlooking the Atlantic, leave a libation and offering for Mavynee and those that came before her. Come to a slow coast, you’re almost there. As you pass over the wooden bridge by what was once Evans Rendezvous - stop and listen for the faintness of music, laughter, and a congregation of ghosts - they were once here; and when your front tires meet her healing waters - put your car in park. You’ve made it and passed through her threshold, a portal. Some call her Fernandina, some call her Amelia, but to our skin-folk, this safe haven was and still is, American Beach. These are her remains, call me if you get lost.
