Theme, Week 13

The waves crashed in like a mother shushing her child to sleep. Seagulls called above, alerting one another to the presence of food. Mary pushed her toes deep into the sand and raised her face to the sun; she loved the beach and everything that it meant. At home she wore suit pants and dress shirts. She walked with an assertiveness that foretold her importance; a CEO. The only time she ever looked up toward the sun was when she was stretching her stiff neck. At college she had been austere and quiet. She had been dedicated to her studies, and her idea of life and what she wanted it to be. The only semblance of personal upkeep was her contrastingly shining hair; something she always took great pride in. Now the sun gleamed from the strands on her head; she felt like she used to when she was young, she felt like Mary. Growing up on the ocean with her grandparents, she had come to love the ocean. Work kept her away. Now she was back; 100 miles from where she had grown up, but the ocean stayed the same and it reminded her of her grandparents.

Theme, Week 12

1.  

There they were, standing, facing each other. The distance between them was magnetized; seemingly pulling them together. Each step brought them closer and closer. When they finally met their bodies rushed with emotion and joy. They embraced for the first time in a year; their starving love had suffered under the weight of a foolish war.

2.

Each day, he went to work, and slaved in the hot mill. Wood chips filled his shirt and cut his skin and hands.  Each grueling hour wore on his soul, another weight to his death chain. At home, his angry wife had her own problems; and didn't think much of his. Threats of divorce and loneliness forced him to sacrifice his true happiness to subservience and humiliation. A strong man brought to his knees by a hard life, and a bitter wife.

3.

The wind blew like a angry beast striking his face. As he looked into the sea he could see his reflection glaring back at him. He had left his helpless family on the shore; his life was now that of a single man. A fishing man. Seeing himself in the blue water made his stomach sick, and he turned his head in shame. He was a coward. He launched his hook into the sea and caught the buoy line. It came to him like his courage did not. Pulling it into the wheel, he coiled the slack as it came in. When the trap appeared he saw the crabs; trapped and helpless. He thought of his family.

Theme week, Eleven

There is a coin that sits on my desk; It's gold and red and on the face there is the image of a black lion poised to strike. My girlfriend picks it up and looks at it quizzically, "What's the big deal with these coins?" Suddenly I'm up, I walk quickly to the door. Pushing it aside, I stormed in; like a the god of thunder. My legs swayed back and forth and slammed to the ground as I marched. I halted sharply, and cut a left face toward the Command Sergeant Majors (CSM) sitting before me. I had a "case of the ass" as the army liked to call the hardcore disposition that a soldier was suppose to posses. I barked out, "Corporal Laverdiere reporting for duty Command Sergeants Majors!" 

CSM Chase stood up. He looked at me hard; examining my uniform closely. 

"Right Face!", his voice filled the room. 

I turn quickly to my right and stood steady. 

"Forward March!"

Stepping quickly, I obeyed his command and moved forward.

He continued to give me drill commands, and all of the board members observed me closely as I obeyed them, ensuring that I knew each command and it's execution. They ordered me to take my seat. 

Next came the questions; the part that had fooled me last time. I was directed to CSM Brown at the far right of the table. I turned my hard sharply to face him and glared sternly at his forehead; he looked impressed. 

"What are the ten principles of leadership as defined by the U.S. army?"

I kept my eyes steady, and recited the principles. After working my way through the several questions that each of the seven CSMs asked, I was directed to proceed to the back of the room. There I found a M-16 rifle. CSM Chase pulled out a stop watch and told me to disassemble my weapon. I began to tear it apart; my hands were confident as I found it's releases and removed it's parts. I placed the last piece on the table and snapped to attention. CSM Chase stopped his watch and informed the of CSMs of the time, "thirty seconds". He ordered me to reassemble the weapon and I did. 

CSM Chase came to the table and checked the weapon; everything works, I was lucky. He stepped close to me and examined my chin, ensuring that I had shaved completely. He checked the lines of my hair, and the laces of my boots. Pulling a ruler from his pocket, he measured the distances of my awards on my uniform. Standing in front of me he yelled, "Attention! Dismissed." I turned sharply to the door, and marched out of the room; my squad leader followed behind me and closed the door. 

As my body relaxed, a smile filled my face; I had done well. I had known most of the questions and had avoided being yelled at, or thrown out. 

When the CSMs came out of the room we all stood at attention and waited for the word. CSM Chase stood in front of me, "Corporal Laverdiere, your the Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year." He put his hand out and I shook it; as our hands unclasped I found that he had left a coin in mine. 

Now that coin sits on my desk; with several others that I won while I was in the military. My girlfriend, holding it in her hands, asks me, "what's the big deal with these coins?" My mind flashes back in time, and I tell her, "It's just a coin that I won."