After experiencing failure with effectively asking the ‘right’ questions to prompt a candid conversation on borders within my county, I went on many a run and a walk in search of phrases and images that would yield something creative. This is what came out of it, as the road in all my walking and running became the central figure in this reflection.

I do not own, nor assume, the rights to Kacey Musgave’s “Merry Go ‘Round” or Charles Wright’s “Appalachian Book of the Dead,” both of which are used in fragments to supplement my thoughts on small town borders, expectations, and beauty.