Chasing Down Expression

Intentions and ramblings and letters for you.

A collection of essays aimed at delivering high saturation vignettes and vivid sensory experiences. A place where writing can witness to life and toast to the pursuit and practice of Chasing Down Expression.

Moving on

Hello Friends and Readers. Your support has been really beautiful over the last few years. I've appreciated every bit of readership,...

Lauren Smith

Aug 111 min read

At the End of the Day

There is something so precious about the end of the day. I can be so impatient for the other parts. In my waking I grumble and tangle in...

Lauren Smith

Mar 182 min read

Hands and Harmonica

A group of young men in flannel shirts and tightly clenched jackets gather close to the fire burning outside. They shrug their shoulders...

Lauren Smith

Jan 265 min read

Matterhorn

“Maybe it’s like a girl who wants you to see her sometimes and not other times. Maybe she is flirting? Or maybe it is like the swirl on...

Lauren Smith

Sep 22, 20249 min read

Time After Time

There is a crew power washing the stadium across the parking lot and as they work we are all a captive audience to their playlist. ...

Lauren Smith

Jun 7, 20243 min read

Where All the Miracles Went.

I came outside for a bit more fresh air. I’m tired, but I just wasn’t done with the day yet. The crickets are chirping off in the...

Lauren Smith

Apr 11, 20243 min read

The Center of the Universe

The wind is coming from the East. We’ve been on the little boat long enough to watch the sky go from light to blue to black. The boat...

Lauren Smith

Sep 17, 20235 min read

Yesteryear

I've decided to discuss everything by the given names of yesteryear. Ice box. Dungarees. Moving pictures. Victory gardens. The...

Lauren Smith

Jul 1, 20232 min read

Jean Morris

The life of Jean Morris was an absolute triumph. She was a talented musician, wise leader, caring wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and...

Lauren Smith

Mar 27, 20238 min read

Gambling and Pancakes - Atlantic City

I never went to Atlantic City as a kid. Any preconceived notions about the place were derived from a movie from the 90’s called Wild...

Lauren Smith

Nov 6, 20226 min read

Walking Through Walls

If I wanted to time travel I would start by looking in familiar places where time is easily found. Libraries. Pawn shops. Public...

Lauren Smith

May 17, 20224 min read

The Man in the Brown Flannel Shirt

Dad had a faded flannel shirt that was varying shades of soft brown. It was worn and comfortable and had seen a thousand Saturday...

Lauren Smith

Mar 31, 20229 min read

Shark Tooth Island

Shark Tooth island is changing in the water. Somewhere in the Potomac River just feet away from the border between Virginia and Maryland....

Lauren Smith

Jan 30, 20224 min read

The Gods of Good Idea

I take a picture of the sky when I have a good idea. This is not a metaphor. It’s a habit. It started one night when I stumbled into a...

Lauren Smith

Dec 20, 20213 min read

Rust and Shine

Eventually you will need to act in the way of your ancestors. Moving slower and firmer and closer to the ground. Carrying a cadence of...

Lauren Smith

Nov 7, 20213 min read

Refuge and a Stubborn Landlord

I was putting the dishes away when a song came on so cutting and clear that tears released themselves without my permission and I leaned...

Lauren Smith

Aug 16, 202110 min read

We Done Cracked the Moon

I had a dream that the moon fell from the sky. It was not catastrophic or noisy at all. In fact, it made no sound and it fell the way a...

Lauren Smith

Apr 25, 20215 min read

Strangers at the Water

The people assembled as if the ocean called them. I was wordless and transfixed in my humble beach chair. The rain and wind of the past...

Lauren Smith

Apr 14, 20214 min read

The Mini Dog

I have a funny little dog. Most of the funny parts about her that annoy me terribly also remind me of myself. It is a kind of canine...

Lauren Smith

Mar 15, 20213 min read

Southside Snow Angel

Just behind Southside Elementary School there is a sweet little park. Backstops articulate where baseball diamonds are hidden under snow....

Lauren Smith

Feb 9, 20214 min read

Chasing Down Expression

Moving on

At the End of the Day

Hands and Harmonica

Matterhorn

Time After Time

Where All the Miracles Went.

The Center of the Universe

Yesteryear

Jean Morris

Gambling and Pancakes - Atlantic City

Walking Through Walls

The Man in the Brown Flannel Shirt

Shark Tooth Island

The Gods of Good Idea

Rust and Shine

Refuge and a Stubborn Landlord

We Done Cracked the Moon

Strangers at the Water

The Mini Dog

Southside Snow Angel

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