Extinction
Start walkin'
I took a long walk this morning. It’s been awhile.
September and October, I tend to get off track with fitness. The heat is miserable, the weather-related tree debris collection consistent.
It’s good to get moving again, to step one foot in front of the other.
Sometimes I abandon the street for the unpaved roadsides. Walking becomes more of a maneuver. Feet fall differently. The walking pattern is impacted, uneven. Phone health apps will flag this hesitant pace as a possible health concern.
But once back to a steady walk on the street, the pattern evens out.
Good for one’s balance, this negotiation of the unexpected.
My muscles did surprise me with momentary stiffness. A temporary reminder of just who’s got my back.
One certainty though. I’m glad I’m no runner.
It’s got to be painful, to run.
I best describe my writing as inconsistent. Curious to all types of form, that’s me. At this writing, my tales are tiny, imaginative and poetic.
Rather than plot, I puzzle. Like a collage, somehow the odd pieces jammed together every which way work.
“Extinction” published by Fictive Dream 2/7/2023 as part of Flash Fiction February 2023 is when I first noticed, hmm the assembly in my brain is creating somewhat differently.
The story can be read here.
Many thanks to editor Laura Black and mixed media artist Claudia McGill.
These Boots Are Made for Walkin’
I remember “Extinction” in Fictive Dream (one of my favorite online fiction journals), Sheree — soo good! Glad you reposted the link here so others can read. And walking … you’ve done such a great job of describing the process of walking, and isn’t walking sometimes just the best help a writer can have in her creative process? Great post!
I remember that story in Fictive Dream - a gem! I should start walking again but doing it in the city isn’t inspiring for me. Wishing for woods or a rural setting. Oh well.