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Stories from the Road

Who I Met on a Path in the Woods Alone
The slim path is about to turn in toward jack pine forest. Over the edge, the lake is an aqua shimmer. A crow flies on silent wings into the sun. I…
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Holly Starley
31
A Door by Any Other Color
High on the faraway pinions tickling my nostrils, I barely even felt the jolt of contact. So, when I turned to youthful eyes watery with remorse, I…
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Holly Starley
31
Broke and Thawing near Las Vegas
It’s just me, little smoky gasps from beneath a raised hood, and two $1 bills in my pocket. Lime streaks are drying fast on the windshield of B’s…
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Holly Starley
18
Solitude & Community on the Road & on the Page
Out on the road, especially during the early years of COVID, solitude was an unexpected gift.
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Holly Starley
12
Suddenly, Not Alone
Pinpricks plunge through my limbs. Whoosh, whoosh, the aria of my blood’s current: Someone else. Close. Probing.
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Holly Starley
21
Are You Here Alone, Too?
Marina, from nearby Bucerías, and I have close to the same years.
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Holly Starley
21
Witness to the Next Shooting (Only a Matter of Time)
The blast was loud—like a firecracker when you’re sleeping, like glass shattering when you’re home alone.
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Holly Starley
30
I Didn't, and I'm Glad
It's a Damn Fine Thing Everything Changes
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Holly Starley
8
To Go or Not to Go? Ask the Magician
The Magician.
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Holly Starley
12
Last Dance Pre-Pandemic
I didn’t know yet that, in days, the world would be hoisted by a microscopic virus and dropped on its axis. That we would all be wobbly.
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Holly Starley
9
My Living Room Is the World
“Chit-chit-chit-chit-chit-chit-chit.”
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Holly Starley
25
Why Did the Shoe Hit the Road?
The last one I saw was a work boot sitting at an angle just off the curb, like it was poised to jaywalk.
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Holly Starley
6
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