This isn’t the Wright Flyer. This is a prototype glider.
Orville wears a hat since he doesn’t expect great speeds.
Orville wears a hat since he doesn’t expect great speeds.
He isn’t at all worried about a hat; he is Icarus stressing
about aeronautical success and lift-to-drag coefficients.
about aeronautical success and lift-to-drag coefficients.
It may be white-knuckle joy to have invented the Flyer,
but this isn’t that. This is prayer to the heaven overhead,
but this isn’t that. This is prayer to the heaven overhead,
to sandfalls underfoot and contiguous to the task at hand.
And if Dan is fine with being the footnote to this history
And if Dan is fine with being the footnote to this history
on a dune bank at Kitty Hawk, Orville and Wilbur aren’t.
Wilbur is sporting a tie because this is for all the marbles.
Wilbur is sporting a tie because this is for all the marbles.
And speaking of marbles, he remembers Orville cheated:
doctored the flick into the circle or distracted opponents,
doctored the flick into the circle or distracted opponents,
stage-managing their child’s play like a future take off
any day sea birds affect figure-eights to show they can.
any day sea birds affect figure-eights to show they can.
