Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: JOURNEY (01/13/22)
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TITLE: An Angel Named Atticus | Previous Challenge Entry
By Vicki J. Cypcar
01/19/22 -
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She came crashing down
One fall out of a million
Shattered her knee
And her life
Years of rehab
Could not mend her brokenness
So she cleaned out her locker
But left her skates on the bench
With a note that said
Free
Traded in her Subaru
For a Jeep Wrangler
The color of sunflowers
Stopped to bid farewell
To her country church
With the snow-covered steeple
Sat in her favorite pew
Where she could no longer kneel
And begged for guidance from above
Soft footsteps on the tile
She turned to see
A mangy mutt
With a frosted coat
He followed her out of church
And to her jeep
He showed up last week
The new parson proclaimed
From the second story window
He’s a stray
Back at her apartment complex
The dog kept pace
With her clumsy cadence
Then rushed to her door
Eyes bright and tail wagging
On the kitchen table
A favorite novel rest
Basking in a sliver of sunlight
She turned to him
Your name is Atticus
An evening sudsy bath
For the grey and black canine
A trip to the vet
Your new dog is half wolf
Packing boxes and suitcases
She collapsed in a chair
Rehab was never this hard
Atticus nestled at her feet
She loaded the jeep at sunrise
Atticus jumped in to his rightful spot
With his new stuffed alligator
Mountain peaks in the rearview mirror
Seemed to utter good-bye
Twenty-five hundred miles
To reach the shoreline
Of a new life
Rest stop
Dog walk
Rest stop
Dog walk
Rest stop
Dog walk
The repetition continued
For 5 days
They finally reached the shore
And parked in a spot
Beneath palm branches waving hello
Atticus jumped out the window
And bolted
Sand flying in his wake
Plowing into the surf
She chased after him
For fear of losing her friend
In the crashing waves
Atticus!
Atticus!
The smiling dog returned
Gave a good shake-off
Salty tears collided
With droplets of sea water
On her face
A Beachside baptism
For her weary soul
Exhausted she sat in the soft sand
Removed her sneakers
And wiggled her toes
Closing her tired eyes
Her sleep deprived psyche
Struggled to make sense of it all
As the warm rays dried her tears
A gentle voice revealed
It was the uninvited guest
Of pain and suffering
That served as a catalyst
To change the course of her life
And place her where she needed to be
As a true follower of Christ
Out of the limelight
And into alignment
With His light
Back at the jeep
She grabbed her cane
And placed it next to a Recycle bin
Her life is now full
Working at a church office
Surrounded by faith-filled friends
Volunteering at the local animal shelter
Living in a beach bungalow
Jogging at sunset
Writing into all hours of the night
With her loyal wolf dog Atticus
Slumbering beneath her desk
Even now.
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Blessings
Congratulations- well deserved.