Writer Leslie Cox

Category: Uncategorized

  • Amalita’s Story

    I uncovered a collection of notes during my lowest point of the pandemic, after leaving my career, not seeing family for months, and feeling sorry for myself. One quiet afternoon, I unearthed several boxes of old pictures and greeting cards. Among those treasures was a manila envelope holding letters and quotes my Grannie had written…

  • Bella and her Brood

    June 3rd Today is the day. Exactly fourteen days after hatching. Freedom. May 3rd Bella and Bobby set up their nest. Nice and cozy, in a safe cool place high on a back-porch pillar where no wind or rain could find them.  May 8th Bobby left Bella to rest there. She watched as he flew. …

  • The End is Only the Beginning

    A brief reflection…March 18 is a turning point as we experience the New Moon in Pisces. I invite you to reflect, let go, and renew. March 20 is the beginning of a new zodiac cycle and the start of a new astrological year. One ends; another begins. Most things in life will begin, end, and…

  • Me and Bobby McGee

    The heat had let up so I decided this was the day to catch up on yardwork. That meant collecting the equipment—edger, trimmer, mower, blower, and supplies—garbage bags, battery chargers, water bottle, air pods, phone, sunscreen, visor. Oh, and the pooper scooper for tortoise poo.  It’s a whole process, yardwork. I usually set aside several…

  • The Work of My Hands

    Read my essay interview – WOW! Q4 Creative Nonfiction Essay Runner Up My hands appear thin and frail, well-worn, and bony at the knuckles, age spots playing tag on my skin like connect-the-dot puzzles. Blue streaks settle beneath the surface, and new wrinkles line up near my wrist, promising not to deepen, though I know…

  • TREE OF LIGHT

    A Braided Essay “What is wrong with me,” she asks.  Her caregiver says, “Many are unwell. I’m diabetic and can’t enjoy sugar. For you, dementia means forgetting some things.”  They pull into the Tastee Freeze drive-through for an ice cream. She gazes beyond the passenger-side window, and points, saying, “I feel just like that tree.” …

  • Palm Walk

    I step outside the conference center to make my way home. One sprinkle, two, then three in quick succession. Rain wasn’t in my plan today. An hour’s drive this morning, followed by eight hours of writing sessions means a longing to get home, especially before dark.  Raindrops dance on my nose, my forehead, and smudge…

  • Kid Table

    I’m a table. Not the kind you would imagine. I’m tiny. And two tiny chairs snuggle up against me most of the time.  I wasn’t complete when I first arrived at the lady’s front porch. The box that held me was so dark and snug, I could barely breathe. But soon, the lady took me…

  • Happy Father’s Day

    Jack’s Shadowbox Jack of all trades. Demigod of the garden. Camper extraordinaire. Master of music. Guru of games—rummy, poker, pool, and Wheel of Fortune. He roasted green chilis fresh off the vine, cooked up fresh-caught, deep-fried catfish, served hot chocolate gravy over biscuits for breakfast, and ran a locomotive to boot. A 7 x 10-inch…

  • 8:16 On The Clock

    Dad had a curious habit of calling out birth dates from numbers on his digital clock. My children and niece have birthdays in September, on the 12th and 13th. So, at 9:12 (am or pm) on any given day, Dad would say “Look at that. It’s Nick’s birthday on the clock.” And at 9:13, he’d grin…