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Lifetime Get-A-Way, a Survivors Tale

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*Image of Cherokee Piper, Four-seater single engine by Wilkie.

Lifetime Get-A-Way, A Survivors Tale

It is nineteen-eighty new years eve in less than two days,
that said--this turned a fourteener syllabic lined poem,
fourteener set of rhyming-lined poems--to paraphrase,
I had worked with his wife long before I got to know him.

Now Ruby carried on but stayed in the same line of work.
We kept in touch ever since I purchased her dad's cabin.
She said her ardent pilot spouse needed an hourly perk.
As he already owned the plane we just need some gas in.

Fundamentally, Alan purchased, Cherokee Piper,
Four-seater single engine without a pilot license,
Probable in California, but naught a car ... harder,
He's flying days only, that induces a lot of sense?

Our itinerary is, Livermore, California,
to Barstow, California--a hole, fill-up only then,
The Grand Canyon to Ruby's hotel chain, euphoria,
Cliffside cabin, wine & dine and film at Rangers station.

Phoenix, Alan's cop friend drove us to Scottsdale to my Suite
Hilton, north to a western town, rode a stagecoach, ad-lib
gunfighter, now west side Phoenix restaurant, Pinnacle's meet
New Year's Eve, no fireworks, just booze and b.b.q. rib bib

Sedona, Hopi purchased--slight loop, Meteor Crater,
Skirted unique Monument Valley, Vegas as nightfalls,
Hotel gratis tix-Music Man w/Dick Van Dyke, and dinner,
Livermore, seven p.m., sun greets us ... S.F. bay crawls.

The drive to my San Francisco home, bout a hundred miles,
The plane gas bill arrived little under nine hundred bucks,
Never stepped on a wing to board a plane--at me, Dick smiles,
Grand, Sedona, Monument, Vegas, Phoenix, again, *shucks!

2022 January 29
*9th Place*
MY FAVORITE VACATION IN RHYME
~~L MILTON HANKINS: Judged 2022 February 04

*Held hopes but it never happened again as we all moved on in life.

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Connie Marcum Wong Date: 2/4/2022 5:45:00 PM Your poem had me journeying back to my own visit. Sedona is very beautiful and mysterious. At the airport vortex I got a photo of a giant crystal floating in the sky none could be seen with the naked eye. I enjoyed reading about your exciting vacation William. Congratulations on your wonderful being. Blessings xxoo Login to Reply Hilo Poet Date: 2/4/2022 6:42:00 PM It's a joy to read your post now while at my son's home, they're downstairs having said Aloha to him a few hours ago. I'm taking him back to Hilo so that he'll be by his mama. Hilo Poet Date: 2/4/2022 6:41:00 PM Interestingly, I had the kids take me on that nostalgic trip to Livermore bout 40 miles west heading back to the bay area and eating at the same restaurant my friends and I did the eve of our return. I flew in Sacramento up north. Mahalo plenty, Connie, Aloha always!

L Milton Hankins Date: 2/4/2022 9:03:00 AM Wow! What an adventure! Congratulations on your placement in my vacation contest, William! Login to Reply Hilo Poet Date: 2/4/2022 10:19:00 AM Thanks, Milt, as I noted, having parted our separate ways in our lives and lost contact to boot--sold Ruby's dad's cabin shortly after he'd pass, comme ci, comme ca, c'est la vie, Aloha!