Following Footprints
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by Lynn A. McIntosh

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It was a lonely night and I had been sitting on a bench in Jack Asbury Square for more than an hour, waiting for the moon to rise over the small hill that sheltered part of my hometown. The streetlights added to the quiet of a dark night as the full moon finally arrived. It had been nearly 50 years since I left Bluefield and in the countless visits over the years, never once did I feel that part of me wasn’t still there. That night, I was in the park just to take a picture of the full moon. Instead, it took mine. For over an hour, keeping company with the full moon, I sat quietly on the park bench. In my mind I saw my youth played back to me. I saw the old Lee Theater and Saturdays with friends at the double feature, the buildings no longer there. The railroad tracks, the sad moments, many questions, and the little things that found a place in my heart to be protected and remembered. In my wanderlust I left my footprints on so much of our small town. This full moon, like an old friend that once walked with me is now shining on me, urging my imagination to be in free fall; telling me to open that invisible window, to see again what shouldn’t be lost, challenging me not to forget. Footprints are surprisingly easy to find. Following them is when the fun begins.

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“Dealing with everything from school to a carnival, the Saturday movies and the drive-in, games, friends and reading comic books surreptitiously, the poems are a delight. The tone is warm and sympathetic, the observation vivid. The power of a red light over your destiny is delightful. The memories of boyhood friend, Jack, killed in Vietnam, are poignant as the author thinks about the paths his friends have taken. Descriptions of the fight against racial segregation in the 1960s are powerful. The poems are personal and easy to understand, drawing vivid scenes from a young boy’s viewpoint. The style is modern and straightforward, sometimes in blank verse and sometimes rhymed. Some poems verge on being broken lines of prose, while others are more metaphorical and place single words or phrases on a line for emphasis. This is a book that could often be picked up to re-read and enjoy the thoughtful memories and the beautiful mountains, the slow-paced life and warm community seen through a child’s eyes but with the perspective of the adult author. The language is clear, appropriate and sensitive. Although not everyone has experienced a small-town childhood, its sympathetic portrayal brings it to life. It gave me great pleasure to read Following Footprints and subsequent readings were even more satisfying.” -Sally Jennings, Editor

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Lynn McIntosh was born and raised in Bluefield, Virginia, graduated from the University of Cincinnati, and began his career in broadcasting at WLW-T Television in Cincinnati, Ohio. This is Lynn’s first published book following a career spanning fifty years in radio and television. After thirty-two years, he retired from the Westwood One Radio Networks, which included the NBC Radio Network, CBS Radio Network, CNN Radio Network, and the former Mutual Broadcasting System, the Larry King Show and other news, sports and entertainment network programs. Previously he worked for radio stations in Ohio, Kentucky, South Carolina and Washington, D.C. Since retiring, in addition to writing, he has turned his interest in outdoor and wildlife photography into a serious pursuit. Lynn and his wife, Carol, soon to be married fifty years, have lived in the Washington, D.C. area for more than 40 years and currently reside in Northern Virginia. They have two children.

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Contributors

Author

Lynn A. McIntosh

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