The New Year comes in cold: the air brittle and white. Empty. And perhaps it sounds strange, but for now, I like the emptiness, and I’m in no hurry to fill it. My friends rush back and forth announcing resolutions — buying sneakers and juicers and gym memberships. And hear me: those things are beautiful, too. This […]
Tag: Roanoke
The Body Electric: Day Five
Today. I go out walking in the last of the light — before the sun winks out behind the mountains. I feel the cold in my lungs, the night coming on, and I think: It’s true, what they say. The twilight swallows us all. Still … For a moment … My shadow stands tall. […]
The Body Electric: Day Three
Yesterday, as the sunset just begins to flare over the mountains, I pull up to a favorite coffee shop. I am smiling — the anticipation of being with good people always makes me smile — but before I step out of the car, I take a breath and focus. Listen, I tell myself. And then […]
The Body Electric: Day Two
Yesterday. I am running errands. Running with my mind cluttered by Christmas and all its trappings. And so, on a whim, I peel off I-581 and take the exit into downtown. Park just under the pedestrian bridge, across the tracks from the art museum. I take a long breath, and cross over. * Inside the […]
When I am running in the dark, in a river of light …
Two days ago, for the first time in a long time, I ran. * There’s a little event held every Tuesday in Roanoke called the Pub Run. It begins at Wasena City Tap Room and loops through the greenway in either a three-mile or five-mile course. It felt strange, and also comforting, to run in such a […]
Final Flashback: Just a Long Trail & My Tangled Thoughts …
Today marks the final post of my Flashback series — a collection of my favorite throwback posts, in celebration of Alpha // Whiskey // Foxtrot’s one-year anniversary. And this one I’ve been saving. The words are lonely, and it shows. A different kind of person would want to hide that from you — want to […]
Flashback: When a Bridge is a Roadside Cathedral & There’s Water Underneath …
As the month of October draws to a close, so does my little anniversary series, Flashback. All month long, I’ve been interspersing my current work with some of my favorite throwback posts — all in celebration of alpha // whiskey // foxtrot’s one-year anniversary. This is one of two last posts I’ll be sharing with […]
a to-do list for magic-seekers …
To Do: 1. Walk into the woods. Find a leaf. Maybe it’s long and slender: a birch leaf, or a willow… Tuck it behind my ear, the way some people wear a pencil. Wear it all day. 2. Put on a spring coat, even though it’s fall. Walk slow along the sidewalk, watching for […]
deja vu …
Remember these chairs?? Me too. I went scuffing around in the woods today, listening to the crackle of dry leaves … the last of the birdsong. And I don’t know why, but something led me to a clearing I haven’t set foot in for a long time. A year ago, I discovered two white chairs here, resting […]
Flashback: the Post That Started It All …
Exactly one year ago today, I began a little blog that I hoped might help me love my town better. I never expected — ever — that I’d still be blogging 365 days later. Can I be honest? It’s been a messy year. I’ve made good decisions and bad ones. Trusted people I shouldn’t have. Had the good […]
ASHLEY WILSON FELLERS 