You’ve found yourself on the page that’s everything that doesn’t fit in the other categories: cooking, parenting, gardening, writing poetry, visiting other spots in North Carolina, and more!
Where I’m From (a poem)
Sometimes I wonder how
much geography can fit
in one person. You ask
where I’m from and I
imagine the two sides of
my brain illuminating.
From far away, one side looks
like tatreez, Palestinian cross-stitch,
in red, black, and green.
The Mediterranean Sea churns
into the Atlantic in my thalamus
and the stitches unravel and
reform into sand and highways
and the rolling Appalachians
without ever breaking off.
If your question is sincere,
I’ll hand you a magnifying glass
for a closer look. Each little
x is not random, but careful collaborations
forming teen and sabr (fig and cactus fruit),
laughter and lines of Arabic poetry.
Scan over the churning water
to the looser threads on the other
side and there’s so much motion
it’s hard for you to keep up –
A girl runs through rows
of cucumbers and rose bushes,
making mud pies in a Raleigh backyard.
She heads east, stopping for a piece of
cornbread in Colerain and pulling
her hat over her ears in a
deer stand in Windsor.
You’re looking so intently that
you swear you can smell the
air as it gets saltier. There’s
a giant carp hanging off her
fishing rod at Lake Mattamuskeet now.
Then, legs swung over a culvert, she’s
slowly pulling up a string with a chicken
leg at the bottom and swiping a net
into brackish water.
You blink and she’s on the sand
in Kill Devil Hills, a box of whale bones
and skate eggs under her arm for
“research” and then she’s climbing
stairs that seemed to reach into
the sky in Nags Head. The sand
behind her disappears into marsh
and she jumps out of a kayak
into a backyard in Wanchese
just after the mosquito truck left
a cloud of poison behind.
She’s a little older and pulls
her shoe laces tight and
jumps clear to the other end
of the state. You see a flower
box on the porch of an apartment
in Asheville and a Subway apron
tied around her waist. Tire marks
from school to work to home to
study group to volunteer -
too many loops make you dizzy.
And then the strings loosen
once more and she’s splashing
in a cool creek in Swannanoa,
he’s by her side and three sets of footprints
follow everywhere they go. This entire side
of the brain has a North Carolina sky -
the kind you see early morning
when it’s mostly just the birds out.
You get the sense that
one side is what is
and one side is what
could have been, but
both are threaded together
and equal in influence.
Diaspora is of the land
and of my mind and
when you ask my name,
it comes out like:
That’s probably
more than what you asked for,
but the only way I know
how to answer the question.
2 responses to “Where I’m From (a poem)”
-
Hello. Beautiful. I read your article in East Asheville Living. I live near Warren Wilson and am a young 70 year old woman. Do you know of any group/s of women that meet to discuss life in general? I am at somewhat of a standstill these days and looking for inspiration. There….how is that for being open, one stranger to another 🥰. Thanks Runda. Laura
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“If you see me…will fewer people die?”
If you see me,
hijab and overalls,
laughing and
scribbling poems and
making videos and
waving from behind the wheel…
If I am an open book and
answer all your questions and
my kids play with your kids and
we swap book recommendations and
wait in line at the same coffee shops…
Could you see me as
Muslim and neighbor?
Not scary,
Not a threat,
Not something to
be crushed out of
existence?
If you see me,
maybe you will soften,
maybe you will think twice
about that news story,
maybe I will become human
and not a caricature.
If I stay right here
where you can see me,
maybe you will feel those
tiny shifts and maybe
one less person
who prays like me
will be murdered.
I don’t know if it
will matter but
I have to try.
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2024-2025 Flood Food Diary (a poem)
I wrote this poem inspired by the prompt for the 2026 Mountain Xpress Poetry Contest which was to share a poem about food and community. I didn’t get selected for print, but I’m grateful for the inspiration.
Just a few days before Hurricane Helene, I participated in ASAP’s Farm Tour. (My September 2024 camera roll is jam-packed with photos of pristine WNC followed directly by the destruction of Swannanoa by Hurricane Helene.) Then, I spent ten months living in two places. Just before the one year anniversary of the flood, I was back fully home. These are all real photos from my phone camera.
Spring Market Day, Poetry Reading, and Making Time for My Voice
I have no business making several TikToks a day, writing blog articles, carving out time to visit new fun spots in Western North Carolina, or writing poetry in my notes app and revising and revising. I already have a busy and full life of family and work that is meaningful. And yet, this season I have felt called to create and connect. There is something about the joy I am experiencing from meeting new people in my community, writing new poems, taking an art class, etc. that is keeping me grounded and rediscovering my own voice within the busy busy days.
In the next two weeks, I’m taking advantage of two opportunities to be out in the community and creating. These are opportunities to expand beyond my online world and the occasional coffee meetings with strangers (aka neighbors I hadn’t met yet). I hope to see you in-person!
@rundainwnc Join me at two upcoming community events: 1. I’m hosting a FREE all ages craft (we’re making recycled paper flowers!) Saturday, April 18 from 9-3 @ the Vessels Spring Market at Short Sleeves in Swannanoa. Specifically, I’ll be set up in front of Mountain Cycle Works next door 2. I’m reading a new poem “Foundations of Bricks and Roots” at the Swannanoa Artists’ Collective opening reception – Friday, April 24 at 6 PM at 216 Whitson Ave. The poem and artwork by amazing local folks will be on display the 25th-26th. Hope to see you! 🩷 -Runda (in WNC) #swannanoa #blackmountain #asheville #828isgreat #westernnorthcarolina ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
VESSELS Spring Market @ Short Sleeves Coffee in Swannanoa, NC | Saturday, April 18, 2026 | 9AM-3PM
Last winter, my daughters saw a sign up in Short Sleeves Coffee in Swannanoa advertising their first ever vendor market and sharing that applications were open. The kids were thrilled and asked if they could apply to be vendors as they considered themselves the “kid art factory” at home. They were accepted and one of few kids running booths at the market, they made $100 (which felt like one million) and we had a wonderful albeit cold day.
When it came time for the next market set for this Saturday, I had an idea – “Why don’t I apply to have a table?” I dabble in all types of arts and crafts, but not to a level in which I could sell items. But, I am at my core a teacher and so I reached out asking whether I could host an all ages craft for free. To my delight, the team was just as excited as I was.
I really believe in making space and opportunity for folks of all backgrounds to enjoy community time together. Absolutely patron the small businesses and artists if you can! Also, it feels good to offer folks a reason to come by without any economic pressure. Let’s just exist together and create something beautiful.
The VESSELS Spring Market is this Saturday, April 18th from 9AM-3PM and will be set up mostly in front of Short Sleeves Coffee in Swannanoa but also spilling over into the front area of Mountain Cycle Works. At my table, I’ll have all the materials necessary to create flowers out of recycled paper. My table will be directly in front of Mountain Cycle Works and it’s totally free!
Swannanoa Artists’ Collective Poetry Reading “Foundations of Bricks and Roots” | Friday, April 24, 2026 6 PM (Opening Reception) | April 25-26 Open Gallery
The very next week, I will be reading a new poem called “Foundations of Bricks and Roots” at a Swannanoa Artists’ Collective show. You can hear me read at the opening reception on Friday, April 24th at 6 PM at 216 Whitson Avenue in Swannanoa. The poem will also be on display along with other works of art and literature by many talented artists for the weekend. The theme of the show is “Rebirth.”
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Strangers on the Internet (a poem)
Last Friday, Bigfoot Books and Brews in Marion, NC held their first poetry open mic night. I had intended to go to read a new poem but ultimately wasn’t able to make it. Sharing the poem anyways, enjoy!
Strangers on the Internet
“Be careful of strangers on the
internet,” mom said.
Called me out of class
to come watch a news clip:
Child! Kidnapped!
The computer screen
glowed, click, click, replay,
“You see what
could happen to you?”
I loved the internet,
dialing up AOL, sounding
like crumpled paper and
a robot in a blender.
But terrified and a rule follower,
I said no to ASL on AIM.
No to the guys with the
hair curlers at the mall.
No to sleepovers,
no, no, no (and for good reason).
Seems surprising that
I’ve become somewhat of
an expert on meeting up with strangers.
Is this still available? slips easily into
Let’s meet in that parking lot
on the other side of town. Cash? Sure!
If little me looked future forward,
she’d shake her head in disbelief
at the antique drawers I just loaded
into the back of my minivan.
In fact, I am a professional
when it comes to strangers.
Runda’s Resume:
Job Title – Meeter Upper
Ahem. Union Organizer.
Job Duties – 1. Talk to strangers.
Ahem. Engage in one on ones.
2. Encourage people to show up
at strangers’ houses unannounced.
Ahem. Train canvassers.
Strangers are your neighbors,
your coworkers, I say. No Bigfoots at
the door, no books
to memorize, no bruised
ego if the door closes in your
face. Be yourself,
connect, listen. Change the world.
Strangers on the internet
and in real life
are some of my favorite
people.
A former stranger and I
work out together
and then drink a cup of coffee
like clockwork.
A former stranger and I
talk kids over corporations
over the brunch counter.
A former stranger has me
excited about poetry open mic
three towns over.
There’s no more AIM, but my DMs
are filled with partially formed
meetup plans because
strangers on the internet
are just the neighbors I
haven’t met (yet).
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Preparing for Ramadan in Western North Carolina
The holy month of Ramadan is likely to begin tonight with the sighting of the crescent moon after sunset. As a Muslim, I’ve been busy preparing for the month and sharing online about my experiences. My hope is that by sharing openly, I can help to bring us closer together as community members whether or not we practice the same faith. It’s been really exciting, too, to see non-Muslims on social media learning about Ramadan and sharing their experiences online by making videos.
Preparing for Ramadan
This Ramadan, I’m excited to share my experiences as a Muslim woman living in Western North Carolina. I create a lot of social media content highlighting the wonderful food and drink, things to do, etc. here in WNC. Since I’ll be fasting, my posts will have a lighter flow of those kinds of videos and I’ll do more vlog-style sharing about my life.
@rundainwnc I’m also excited to share more middle eastern cooking videos if there’s excitement for that! #westernnorthcarolina #828isgreat #wnc #ramadan #islam ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
Ramadan Grocery Shopping
Ramadan is not about cooking and making huge feasts. However, if you’re fasting all day (no, not even water!) it is pretty important to have healthy and filling meals after. There’s no big Middle Eastern Grocery in Asheville, NC – we usually go to Greenville, SC or another big North Carolina city to stock up on groceries.
@rundainwnc Welcome to bite-sized learning about Ramadan and my life as a Muslim in WNC. Sharing and learning about each other promotes peace 🩷 #ramadan #wnc #westernnorthcarolina #828isgreat #asheville ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
Ramadan = Fasting…but what else?
Fasting from food and drink…yes! But also fasting from bad habits like gossiping. Making intentional time for increasing good habits. Reading from the Qur’an. Taraweeh prayers. Charity.
@rundainwnc What part of this video is new information to you? This is video 2 in my Ramadan series. Once my blog is up and running, I’ll make sure you can watch them all without having to sort through my Western North Carolina content. ❤️ #ramadan #islam #westernnorthcarolina #wnc #community ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
Why do Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan?
The simple answer? It’s required of Muslims in the Qur’an to fast during Ramadan, it’s a practice of self-discipline and becoming closer to God. Fasting also reminds us of the privilege we have in having access to clean water and ready food, keeping us humble and thoughtful.
Fasting is not meant to put our bodies in danger or be more of a burden than can be handled. There are many exemptions to fasting such as pregnancy, breastfeeding, being on your period, illnesses, traveling long distances, etc.
Usually, if somebody has an exemption because of something that is for a fixed period of time they will make up their days of fasting on other days of the year. Otherwise, there is also “fidya” or a charity payment made to replace days of fasting missed for long-term reasons.
@rundainwnc I’m preparing for the month of Ramadan as a Muslim in Western North Carolina! I’m happy to share more about my religion to promote awareness and peace #muslim #ramadan #westernnorthcarolina #fasting #religion ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
Ramadan 2026 Goals
This is the month in which the rewards from God are multiplied by many fold. It’s a great time to set spiritual goals and have a reset button on your daily life. My goals include being a better role model for teaching my kids about Islam, working on the Arabic needed to complete my prayers, reading more Qur’an, and expanding my memorization of the Qur’an.
@rundainwnc How do you relate to Ramadan in 2026? Are you a non-Muslim curious to learn more? A new Muslim fasting for the first time? A lifelong Muslim preparing for new goals to strengthen your faith? Let me know! #muslim #ramadan #ramadan2026 #religion #peace ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
Decorating for Ramadan
Some Muslims choose to decorate their house for Ramadan. For those of us who live in non-Muslim majority countries, it feels good to help build the excitement for our kids about the month. But it’s also important to not overdo it and lose sight of what the month is really about.
I asked a North Carolina lazer engraving shop, Blue Ridge Lazer of Wilkesboro, to create some custom Ramadan decorations for me. They came out beautifully and I’m excited to use them year after year!
@rundainwnc Thank you @BlueRidge Lazer for these wonderful decor items that I will use for years to come! #unboxing #ramadan #westernnorthcarolina #northcarolina #laserengraving ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
Ramadan Greetings and Fasting in the Workplace
If you work with Muslims and you’re wondering what to say at the start of Ramadan – here are some options! You could say, “Happy Ramadan” or in Arabic “Ramadan Mubarak” or “Ramadan Kareem”.
Don’t overthink eating in the office, Muslims in the US are not expecting our non-Muslim coworkers to not eat or hide their food during lunch. However, there’s a difference between eating your lunch as usual and walking over to your Muslim colleagues to tease about fasting. We’re not jealous of you, we’re choosing to fast!
@rundainwnc For me, eating in front of me has no effect and I carry about my day as usual. When I taught, I still sat with my coworkers at lunch. For others, if they are bothered they will usually find their own accommodation during lunch time. Hope this eases your mind if you’re worried about eating in front of Muslim coworkers 🩷 And this of course is the perspective of someone in a country that is not Muslim majority. #ramadan #ramadan2026 #religion #fasting #peace ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
Wishing everyone a blessed Ramadan and can’t wait to continue sharing with you!
Much love, Runda
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Winter Storm Weekend 1: Testing Preparedness Muscles
There once was a time when I thought the word historic was an exciting term to describe the future, but these days it tastes bitter. After experiencing the “historic” “once in a thousand year” “unprecedented” Hurricane Helene, I’d be perfectly content not to experience historic weather ever again. So when our famous young meteorologist, Ethan from North Carolina Weather Authority, started posting his snow and then ice maps on Facebook last week I was less than thrilled.
@rundainwnc 🩷🩷🩷 I’ve got my journal at the ready so that if there’s no other communication tool, I can still write ✍️ #winterstorm #wnc #westernnorthcarolina #nc #northcarolina ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
@rundainwnc I’m more prepared this time because I don’t have a dishwasher anymore 😂😂😂 #hurricanehelene #winterstormfern #january #stormprep #westernnorthcarolina ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
Determined not to be unprepared, there was a buzz in our community. Nervous but steadfast, folks readied themselves for Winter Storm Fern. We bought our groceries, washed our dishes (the horrid memory of forgotten dishes in post-hurricane dishwashers!), washed our clothes, pulled out the flashlights, filled the water jugs we still had from fourteen months ago, filled buckets and tubs for toilet flushing, and so on.
For me, the toughest part of preparation was not fear of being unprepared – a few days without electricity feels laughably simple now. Instead, it was the discomfort of reliving memories of last year and the terrifying knowledge of how many of our community members are vulnerable in inadequate housing and struggling financially. On the latter, it felt encouraging that our little town of Swannanoa has much more infrastructure for community care. Many organizations were born out of the aftermath of the hurricane, our collective sense of community shifted, and our real connections to our neighbors (both the literal next door kind and broader definition) is strong. Arrangements for propane and food and shelter zigzagged throughout our town and beyond.
And then the sun set on Friday, the parkway barriers blocked the roads once more, business after business announced early and weekend closings, and we held a collective breath. Saturday was a blur, I cleaned and baked and arranged as if there was a literal countdown before the lights shut off. And when they didn’t, I stayed alert – drain the bath in the morning, everyone take their showers, make breakfast as fast as possible, wash every dish, wash every load. Quick, quick, quick. Don’t eat the muffins, save those just in case. Eat from the fridge for now. The forecast changed from snow to ice. My lights stayed on. Our neighbors in Nashville, Tennessee and other parts of the country were not as lucky.
By Monday afternoon, enough ice had melted on our street that we ventured out to The Hop and The Pop – giving in finally to the weekend begging from our kids. They were unconvinced that nearly the entire county shut down over the weekend. No school on Monday and Tuesday meant that for the second week in a row (the previous weekend was a pre-scheduled four day weekend), I had several days of working from home with all three kids. It was stressful on round 1, stressful on round 2, and looking towards this coming weekend I am mentally steeling myself for round 3.
There were sweet moments too – giggling kids pretending to be “spies” and “how long can you sit in the bathtub” challenges and art and card tricks and books and practicing for the school play.
@rundainwnc Hope everyone is staying super warm! Silly shenanigans happening over here #momtok #nc #wnc #westernnorthcarolina #kids ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
@rundainwnc And this is why I can never find the under caps for my hijabs 🤔 But how do these spies see?! #kids #funny #cute #parenting #winterstorm ♬ Stupid thief's stealthy steps [Comedy-style drama accompaniment] (991302) – SoLaTiDo
This week promises three “normal” days of school drop offs and pickups, play practices, swim classes, work, and coffee stops. I restocked all the groceries after catching a glimpse of snow maps and seeing the word “cyclone” thrown around (yikes!). On Saturday, you’ll likely catch me cleaning and baking and arranging – the winter storm countdown ticking once again.
Sending you warmth, friends! ❤️ Runda
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Red Lentil Soup Recipe
@rundainwnc I’ve lost my tonsils between this clip and the final one from five years ago! 😅 Red Lentil Soup Ingredients: 1 cup red lentils 1 yellow onion Olive oil (or other butter/oil) 1-2 carrots (optional) 1 bouillon cube of container of broth (optional) Salt, pepper, curry powder 1. Chop your onions and carrots, saute in hot oil until browned 2. Wash and drain lentils. Sauté with other veggies for 15-30 seconds. 3. Add cup of water or broth and scrape the bottom. Continue to add water/broth until a few inches over the lentils. 3. Add in buillon cube (if using), 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tablespoon curry powder. 4. Cook for about an hour on low. Add more water and spices as needed. You want a slightly thick soup and the veggies to be completely cooked through. 5. Blend careful in small batches for smooth texture. Enjoy!!! #soup #lentils #recipe #winterstormfern #cooking ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
Yesterday, I spent the entire day preparing for Winter Storm Fern which is expected to bring widespread power outages to Western North Carolina. Unfortunately, we are no stranger to big weather events here after Hurricane Helene.
I washed all the dishes, washed all the clothes, filled water jugs, filled the bathtubs, baked things, and cooked things. One of my go to foods in situations like this is Red Lentil Soup.
It’s a wonderful and warm meal that can also be enjoyed cold if there’s not electricity.
Here’s what you need:
- 1 cup red lentils
- 1 yellow onion
- Olive oil (or other butter/oil)
- 1-2 carrots (optional)
- 1 bouillon cube of container of broth (optional)
- Salt, pepper, yellow curry powder
Directions:
1. Chop your onions and carrots, saute in hot oil until browned
2. Wash and drain lentils. Sauté with other veggies for 15-30 seconds.
3. Add cup of water or broth and scrape the bottom. Continue to add water/broth until a few inches over the lentils.
4. Add in buillon cube (if using), 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tablespoon curry powder.
5. Cook for about an hour on low. Add more water and spices as needed. You want a slightly thick soup and the veggies to be completely cooked through.
If you want a smooth texture, blend carefully in small batches.
Enjoy!
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Poetry: What the flood washed away (and what it couldn’t)
Poem for the one year anniversary of Hurricane Helene:
What the water washed away (and what it couldn’t)
“It even has a
cute little creek!”
I told my mom,
hardly believing that this
slice of the world
would soon be ours
to love and care for.
And love and care
we did, fruit trees
and gardens,
chickens and
sheep, laughter
and splashes and
sunsets.
So it was hard to
believe that cute
little creeks could
create cuts and
caverns into the
land…could carry
fruit trees and gardens,
drown chickens and
sheep, silence laughter
and leave us with just
the sunset and stifling
air.
Cut off from the world by
invisible signals and
physical tree limbs,
our limbs trembled in fear,
threatening to crack too as
we whispered in the pitch black,
“Do you think…?”
One year, one
thousand reasons to
be grateful. For
friends near and far,
for grit,
for grace.
This poem could
weave like the new
paths of the river,
digging into details
and dates like a
devastating diary
that gets thrown into
the water in the final
scene.
If that’s a movie,
this is a TikTok and
the word for this
highlight reel is:
change.
Now my six year
old keeps a go bag
“just in case” of
evacuation
and
Emergency alerts
feel like a physical
attack, my
nervous system afraid
as if I were squaring
up to a bear.
The real bears,
also a threat,
drop their children
each night since the
hurricane on my
back porch while
I make my own
swear to stay
inside after sunset.
The cat, unfazed
by the mothers inside
and out simply watches.
She has seen the landscape
change and the
people and animals
come in and out
from angles I can’t imagine.
Change, change, change
whisper the trees left to
usher us into this next chapter.
It’s okay to grieve or to feel
indifferent or to look forward or
to be angry or afraid
or to rest (or to rest!)
or to
or to
I for one, am just glad
to be doing it all with you.
See the water washed away
[holding space for your grief here], but
nothing could come close to crushing
our acts of community.
Not
even
a
thousand
year
flood.
With love and admiration!
-Runda Alamour, Swannanoa Resident
@rundainwnc A poem to mark the one year anniversary of #hurricanehelene (I know I gotta work on my editing skills 😩) #blackmountain #swannanoa #asheville #poetry ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
@rundainwnc It’s so cute that this is what the kids are finding common ground on. Tell the truth, how many jars of peanut butter do you have in your house right now? #hurricanehelene #westernnc #swannanoa #asheville #828isgreat ♬ original sound – Runda in WNC
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