Ndraa Journal

Collections

Empty Roads

Notes from somewhere between leaving and becoming.

01The Road

As a child, I sometimes imagined walking into the dark road beyond our house. Not because I knew where it went. I think I loved it because, for a little while, no one would know where I was.

Empty Roads

02Freedom

Freedom used to look like an empty road at night. No voices behind me. No expectations waiting ahead. Only wind, darkness, and enough distance to hear my own thoughts clearly.

Empty Roads

03Somewhere Beyond the Trees

There was always a road I could not take. Beyond it were trees, darkness, and places I had never seen. I think part of me believed that if I walked far enough, I might eventually arrive somewhere I was allowed to begin again.

Empty Roads

04Leaving

Maybe I was never trying to run away from a place. Maybe I was trying to find the version of myself that could only exist after leaving it.

Empty Roads

05The Distance

Some people dream about returning home. I used to dream about becoming too far away to be recognized.

Empty Roads

06No One Watching

I wanted a place where I could walk at night without explaining where I was going. A place where silence meant peace instead of absence. A place where nobody was watching closely enough to tell me who I should become.

Empty Roads

07The Other Side

I used to look at the darkness beyond the window and wonder what waited on the other side. Now I think I know. Not another world. Just another version of me.

Empty Roads

JournalEmpty Roads

The Road Beyond the House

I never took that walk. But perhaps some part of me has been taking it ever since.