Over Yonder

“It’s right over yonder.” The person talking points towards a hill on the horizon. Will there be a sign when I get to yonder? I hope someday to find yonder.

Yonder can be a noun, an adjective, or a pronoun. The word is not slang and however you use it, is proper. According to Merriam-Webster, the word has been around since the fourteenth century, from yond as in hither. Synonyms are beyond, further, yon, and farther.

Years ago, my truck check engine light came on heading down the interstate. I started looking for the nearest dealer. At the next exit, a billboard indicated a Dodge dealership up the road. I stopped at a convenience store, bought fuel, and asked where the Dodge dealership was.

She said, “It’s just down yonder, pointing down a hill. At the bottom of the hill there’s a highway, take a right toward the river, when you get to the river, if you didn’t see the dealership, you went the wrong way.” So, I should turn left then? “No, you should turn right if you don’t see the Dodge house, it’s down yonder toward town.” The other way I asked. “It’s down yonder one way or the other,” the pleasant girl said. “I have seen it; I just don’t remember for sure whether it’s right or left but it’s just down yonder below the hill.” Fortunately, I found the dealer to the right. Now I have an iPhone and an app called Waze which gets me to where I need to go, but does anyone have the zip code for Yonder?

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