Grandeur Things

Travesty at its Finest By C. J. Strong His name was Travis, and he was an alcoholic He loved to bowl, and drinking gave him an edge His passion for the sport was unparalleled, and he was very good He could have gone to the Olympics, but drinking was his best sport His frame of drinking and bowling slowly came to an end He had wasted most of his life as a could-have-been He watched on as friends and teammates became famous He decided that enough was enough, and he quit cold turkey His life finally started to turn around, and he started to compete again His bowling prowess and untapped potential was unlike anyone else His technique helped him win several perfect games He decided to make one last go of it, and so he did His shot back to the top, and he was off to the Olympics He was finally fulfilling his dreams, that is until an old friend came back into his life His alcoholism was back, and back to the gutter he went He only took one shot of

The Ultimate Thrill By C. J. Strong           Carvin North was a teen with little to no self-worth. He had lost half of his right leg the year before due to frostbite, and had to have it replaced with a prosthetic. Still, he didn’t see himself as a victim though, after all it was his stupid choice to stay out for too long.           It was in the middle of winter, and he decided to do it. As a member of the North family, he felt obligated to do so. After all, it was a trek that every male in his family had taken for generations; a passage into manhood if you will. The goal was to leave without any supplies at all, and climb to the top of the Grilda Summit. Now, for any normal healthy adult, this wouldn’t be so bad. For Carvin, it was quite the task.           He left his house with only a jacket and cane. He failed to mention to his parents that today was going to be the day, though they had a good idea that he would eventually go. Once that front door closed behind him, he