What Is Down East
/If you ever wanted to know the heart and soul of Down East, this article precisely describes it. “What is Down East” was written a year ago by an extremely thoughtful young man who was born and bred Down East - Michael Martin. Although he now lives in Kinston, he is a truly and remains a Down East boy!
What is Down East?
It is the people who come and pick my dad up off the floor when he falls and my mom can’t help him up and refuse to take anything in return for their kindness.
It is the kid who spends his afternoon fishing to catch a mess of fish for the old folks around the island because it’s just the right thing to do.
It is the friend you haven’t seen in months that drops everything to take your family on a day trip to Ocracoke because he would not have it any other way.
It is the teacher that meets you at school to unlock the building when you forgot your math book because she believes in you.
It is the fella that picks you up on a hot day and gives you a ride to where you are going because he walked in that heat before you.
It is the children playing barefoot without a care in the world because that is what children should do.
It is the blood that flows through your veins.
It is a language that is not an accent or a brogue. It is a language spoken with a wink, a look and a smile.
Down East is love and it isn’t the love you will read about in a novel, it isn’t a love that you will learn about in a poem, it is a love that is born within the heart of the men, women and children that cannot be duplicated it can only be shared.
Tomorrow the sun will rise and it rises in the EAST.
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If you ever wanted to know the heart and soul of Down East, this article precisely describes it. “What is Down East” was written a year ago by an extremely thoughtful young man who was born and bred Down East - Michael Martin. Although he now lives in Kinston, he is a truly a Down East boy!
