To listen to the spoken-word version of this post by Ashley, click below. “But the tigers come at night. With their voices soft as thunder. As they tear your world apart. As they turn your dreams to shame . . .” ~”I Dreamed a Dream,” Les Miserables “You’ll never do it again. Your words are […]
Ashley Hales
When Hospitality is Radical
She pauses, the doorbell’s eerie reverberations beat a note of panic through her veins. She wipes her hands on the linen apron wrapped around her and hurries to tell them to hide themselves in the basement or attic. She breathes deeply, realizes this is the moment she and her husband have talked about, and […]
Leaving Home and the Geographies of our Days
Every time we leave, I always hope for a clean break, where you wince but then rip off the band-aid and you’re okay. Where the pain is quick but then fades, and soon, you’re just left with a scab. Or I hope that if the pain does remain, it’s still beautiful in its own right, […]