Postcards From the Folly Boat

 I passed by the folly boat today in my travels and each time I do I cant help but think of all the history the little dingy has seen. For years it has served as the Lowcountries diary in times both good and bad, happy and sad. Weddings, divorces, births and birthdays have been posted for the whole world to see. Graffiti, prints and paintings some good,, some not so, have been debuted by countless artist over the years    

    For some mystical reason, both locals and tourist have shared their hopes and fears on her hull for all the world to see. Through hurricanes and warm summer days alike shes been equal parts billboard, friend, confessional booth, psychiatrist, rally point, and hallmark card. Always willing to listen, always willing to tell our stories until the next coat of paint from the next friend in need.

Without a sail or engine she acts as a metaphorical floating library, a lifeboat to the thousands of messages and lives and stories that would have otherwise have been lost to time. A time capsule in latex storing layer upon layer of our most personal past. Sometimes I wonder if she was already here when the first settlers arrived in 1670 or maybe it was them who left her, a maritime touchstone of sorts. A diary started in their time,as a way of connecting their lives with ours. Whatever the reason, the Folly boat has become for us, more than just another post card picture from a town filled with them. A mile marker more of time than distance,she waits patiently for tomorrow . Somehow the little white boat on Folly Road has become, luckily for us, our collective heart. A heart kept warm by coat upon coat hopes and dreams and wishes. A heart that we Charlestonians proudly wear on our sleeves for all to see.

R. Sweat