| February 2006 Winner: Donna Holland, Enjoy
Your Flight
Honorable Mention: Janet DeMarco, King
of the Road
Honorable Mention: Dorrie Lloyd, The
Bag Man
View the 2006 Will
Write 4 Food catalogue of winners & honorable
mentions. View the contest rules.
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http://geekphilosopher.com
February
2006
Winner
Enjoy Your Flight
by Donna Holland
There I was, all twisted steel and pathetically
bored with life. As a beast of burden, I rolled the same benign path up and
down isles of groceries, while kids kicked my ribs. I was in a rut, literally,
in the far corner of the parking-lot, when I saw him, strategically scoping
the lot for a set of wheels.
“Pick me” I prayed over and over in silent reverence, as if
I could will him to walk past all the other carts in the lot. Calloused cold
fingers took hold of my handle and yanked me free from my precarious perch,
pushing me forward, wheels screeching all the while, proclaiming, “Free
at last!”
Larry began his introduction one life’s story at a time. I became
his home and companion, and he became my teacher. Larry was a light in an
otherwise darkened corridor. This man loved to fly! He shared stories of
Nam and rescue missions as he cooked for and warmed the forgotten. He was
a safety net to those lucky enough to call him friend, for the military had
earned him respect on the streets. His eyes sparked with warmth, as his memories
transported his listeners to breathtaking vistas and cloud studded horizons.
At the top of a hill, Larry would hop on my back, arms outstretched, and
if dreams were answered, he would have sprouted wings.
It was a terribly cold and windy night, one when eyes often close for the
last time. Larry’s friend Joe took me to the cemetery to say goodbye,
where I witnessed his friends tenderly placing feathers like flowers upon
his grave. His eulogy was simply “Larry, enjoy your flight!”
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