Forward Facing, 2024.
Acrylic on Canvas and wire. Purchase

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Art by Danielle Dykerhouse
Prose by Betsy Van Die

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Heading East and Out

The image of buzzards hovering over the outermost stretch of his father’s cornfields was indelibly etched in Leo’s brain. He assumed it was a dead rabbit or possum that got them all excited. It’s the last thing he remembered of the only home he knew. As he made his way to the train tracks, tears streaming down his face, he carried everything that mattered in an old Army duffel stolen from his old man.

The same old man who kicked him out last night, after discovering Leo in the barn making out with a local townie named Ray. It was 1965 and Leo simply couldn’t bring himself to tell his strict Evangelical father that he was a homosexual. No, his bible-thumping old man found out the hard way. This caused such a scene that Leo thought the bastard might die of a heart attack right on the spot, and secretly hoped he would. Leo’s mother died when he was 6 and his father doled out beatings for the slightest transgressions.

“I’m better off this way,” Leo said to himself as he walked briskly to the rail yard. He was a fan of Woody Guthrie and had been contemplating riding the rails cross country for some time. He gained a little know-how from riding freight trains locally, but always jumped off at the next town. He would thumb a ride back to the dirt road leading to the farm and often endured a whipping for his brief absence.

Leo was strikingly handsome with dark wavy hair, green eyes, and a muscular physique from years of working the land. He possessed an outer swagger that belied years of inner turmoil and abuse.

He recently acquired a dog-eared copy of City of Night, reading it cover to cover at least five times. At 19, Leo had never been outside of Iowa and the novel ignited a desire to make the most of his physical prowess, the bright lights of New York City as a backdrop. If he couldn’t get a job modeling or acting, no morality issues were standing in the way of turning tricks. He shirked any belief in a greater being many years ago, only going to church to appease his father.

Leo arrived at the rail yard and quickly ascertained which train was heading east. He hopped on a partially open car, the train just started to lurch along. He brought enough food and water to last a few days, as well as a little cash. He removed a blanket from his bag and settled back against the wall.

He was nearly caught twice, but Leo ended up close enough to his intended destination. He jumped off the train in a rundown rail yard situated in a bleak, industrial area somewhere outside Manhattan. As he dodged slowly moving trains and a tangle of intertwined tracks, the entire NYC skyline loomed in the distance, the majestic Empire State Building saluting him in all its glory.

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Betsy van Die | A lifelong artist and graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, I infuse my writing with the same attention to detail and creativity as my fine art. I have always considered myself an outsider, never quite fitting into a particular niche, although I achieved professional success as a media relations and communications director in the nonprofit sector. I empathize with marginalized people who are seeking a place to call home.

Danielle Dykerhouse | I am a self taught artist who enjoys the complicated balance of imagination and art. I enjoy exploring new ways to combine different media forms in a way that creates cohesion and beauty. Taking that collaboration to the next level by working with and being inspired by another person’s writing is yet another way to find balance, and to discover.

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1000 Words | Home Not Home Artists + Writers

Noa Alemán + Tamar Brooks • Jacqueline Almaguer + Alanis Castillo Caref • Lexi Alvarado + Isabela Ortega • Danielle Arend + Janina Gatilao • Sofia Brunwin + Spencer Hutchinson • Andrea Cole + Rocio Franco • Lydia Collins + Tarnynon Onumonu • Gregory Diaz + Irvin Ibarra • Danielle Dykerhouse + Betsy Van Die • Jonathan Espinoza + ben-aki • Jaymes Fedor + Maria Requena • Samantha Franco + Angeles Rangel • Ines Gardea + Angelica Davila • Frank Geiser + Penny Mann • Evelyn Hernandez + Valeria Osornio • Stephanie Hererra + Neha Chawla • Ivana Jarmon + Theo Sullivan • Vivian Jones + Luz Silva • Lewis Lain + Thulasi Seshan • Cesar Luna + benedicta m badia • Marie Magnetic + Jasmine Rodriguez • Delisha Mckinney + Paloma Velasco • Diana Noh + Juj-Lepe • Andrew Rehs + Corbett Berger • Clau Rocha + Maria Jose Ramos Villagra • Amyia Ross Brittanii Batts (Tanae b) • Fawaz Sakaw + Arianna Maggio • Lucero Sanchez + Clay-Cofre • Ramin Takloo-Bighash + Yiwen-Lyu • TEEL ONE + Melody Contreras • Pamela Trejo + Kim Yeoh • Cindy Uriostegui + Scum Drop • Ami Vasilopoulos + Stephanie Cruz Rincon • Ivy Waegel + Aryn Hills • Emily Schroeder Willis + Angelica Flores • Raine Yung + Micaela Petkus