Solo

Now take yourself to the other end of the island.
The long grassy strip of heath
that leads, over the line of dunes
to South Beach and then…the ocean.

You are at the Katama Airfield.
Actually, you are in the Right Fork Diner
which is in the field next to the tiny airport.

It’s a Wright Brothers era kind of a place.
With all the wooden propellers and greasy rags
it can easily fool the 21st century visitor
into thinking they saw their great grandfather
sitting on the old ladderback
in the shadowed corner of the hanger.

My great-grandfather actually did work for the Wright Brothers.
Which must have been what drew my attention to the bits of fabric
hanging from index cards which were thumb tacked in a neat line
all around the ceiling’s edge of the dining room.

The gentleman next to me noticed my curiosity
and told me that when a student pilot flies their first solo flight
the instructor ceremonially tears off a piece of her or his shirt.

Each of the cards had the pilots’ name and date of flight
and the word, “Solo” written in block letters
with a ratty bit of shirt tail attached…
here and there a button or a cuff.

The earliest ones I could see were from the 60’s.
I don’t think the place would have looked much different back then.
A little less rust maybe
but isn’t that true for most of us.