I wake up to thunder. Directly overhead. Not the sharp, crackling kind, but rather a nonstop grumble that makes it impossible to count Mississippis after orange strobes flash inside my tent like paparazzi. Last night I strategically set up camp under the canopy of a tall tree, but the rain is falling like hammers and I’m taking a beating anyhow. I know the cloudburst won’t … Continue reading Final Countdown Story: Rogersville, TN
My brother Mike and I weren’t super tight growing up. Likely because I took an inordinate amount of joy in harassing him insufferably. I distinctly remember the pleasure I’d feel when my teasing made him cry. I wouldn’t be surprised if he now discusses such things with a therapist. But as they generally do, things changed as we grew older, and the beginnings of our … Continue reading Countdown Story #13: Hutto, TX
An older white woman slows her car to a stop and wants to know what I’m raising money for. Her crunched face assures me my answer doesn’t compute. “Oh – I thought you were the man I saw on the news,” she says. “The Black man walking across America with a lawn mower. Mowing folks’ lawns along the way to build community.” I apologize, tell … Continue reading Countdown Story #12: Mount Crawford, VA
I can’t figure out how the hell I got poison ivy on my butt crack. And I’m pretty damn sure it is, in fact, poison ivy. But I’m no doctor, so it very well may be something else. Either way, the screaming and mysterious eruption is causing major distress I’m at my goddamned wit’s end. After a shower in my hotel room’s off-kilter tub, I … Continue reading Countdown Story #11: Texarkana, TX
Tom Griffen 