KEITH BURKHOLDER - A NEW LIFE AWAKENS AFTER DECAPITATION

Keith Burkholder has been published in Creative Juices, Sol Magazine, Trellis Magazine, Foliate Oak Literary Journal, New Delta Review, Poetry Quarterly, and Scarlet Leaf Review.
He has a bachelor's degree in statistics with a minor in mathematics from SUNY at Buffalo (UB).

​A New Life Awakens after Decapitation

    David was just like any other person one would see on planet Earth.  However, something really amazing happened to him.  He has a second life now.
                Scientists discovered that David had nerve endings in his neck that still worked after his head was decapitated totally in an automobile accident recently. They were able to make a new head for him and now David functions normally like he did before.  His new face and head look like similar as before, but he is a totally new person now.
                David’s qualities of being nice and considerate still remain.  However, now he is more cautious in the world.  He doesn’t trust people as he did.  The accident from the past still lingers in him even though he has a totally different head than before.  It is as if he can feel the past in him.
                David no longer works for the company he was employed at.  He now works full-time as a freelance writer.  He likes being his own boss and being published any chance he can get.  He gets a pension and social security due to the accident he had before.  David wonders what life will be like this new way.
                David feels more in tuned with life with this new head and face.  The scientists did a marvelous job in keeping him alive.  Everyone is amazed he is still alive, but the nerve endings in his head continued to function.
                Second chances in life are rare, but they do happen.  David understands this concept a lot and feels grateful to be alive and well now.  What will David write about now that he is working this way?  He has always wanted to write a book and now is the perfect time for him.
                Science fiction appeals to him a lot and he knows that he himself would love to see a new world in outer space.  He is now alone in his apartment and is now creating such story.  He talks about a character that goes through the similar events he has gone through in life.
                This character will now travel to a planet in the solar system that has just been inhabited by human beings.  This concept makes David feel great as he starts to brainstorm new ideas about this adventure.
                David’s new head and face continue to work as he writes.  He has never had thoughts like this before.  Science fictional ideas are now coming easily to him.
                David loves to brainstorm as he writes.  This makes the process a lot easier for him and he feels that he can really be a part of the story even though it is fictional in sense.
                David has ideas for the kinds of characters he will use in this story.  He just loves the idea that this story will go well for him.
                Before being decapitated, David wrote very little.  However, now with this new head and face, he really can’t stop writing.
                The planet David writes about in this story is a world that is newly developed by humans.  Humans can survive there in the same way they do on planet Earth.
                The planet Earth needed a sister world that is similar to itself.  This planet David writes about is such a planet and the whole concept of this reality in a short story really appeals to him as an author.
                David wants this planet in his story to be as productive as planet Earth over time.  This would really be an amazing plot to such a tale.
                David continues to keep writing now.  His life was saved by the scientists who helped in his operation with the surgeons who attached this new head and face to David. 
                Operations such David’s are rare, but he was saved.  He now has a new found feeling toward life because of this.
                David has never been married and has no children.  He loves his life now as it is and wants to continue to live life now as he knows it.
                David now feels that he can be accomplished as a writer.  Before his head was decapitated in the accident, he never knew that he could write well.
                The kind of work that he creates makes him happy.  This is the case with the story he currently writing.
                David believes that he can write great work.  His imagination is really amazing now and he feels complete as a person.
                David thinks the world will get better for him.  It has taken him some time to get used to his new head and face, but everything is working greatly for him.
                David believes in creativity in every which way.  This is how his mind works when he writes a short story.
                David would love to write books.  He believes his creative mind works well for a longer journey in writing.
                This story topic came to David out of the blue.  His imagination works in funny ways and this is such instance.
                David loves his life when he writes now.  He feels really empowered in so many ways when he is writing.
                Empowerment comes in different forms for different people.  In the case of David, it is now in the form of writing.
                This new head and face have allowed David to create while writing.  It is like he has a new life and this makes him feel happier inside, too.
                The surgeons and scientists have told David that his new body parts will continue to get stronger over time.  This comment really made him feel great inside.
                David really never had a chance of surviving until he received this operation.  However, now he is alive and thriving.
                Surgeries like this never happen.  However, in this account it did.  David is thriving and is happy to have this second life.
                David loves to have this kind of life.  He loves the fact that writing takes it over and he can create whatever he wants to in a story.
                David wonders how much he can write right now.  He doesn’t care if it a little or a lot.  He just wants to be productive.
                David believes in his work entirely.  He writes on his own and feels that his work has gotten better over time.
                David feels so grateful to have a second chance at life.  Not everyone experiences such events in their lifetime.
                David is alive and well.  Medicine in this case worked in a way where life is happening for David and his writing career will take off hopefully soon.
                David wonders more about this story.  He wonders about a possible ending even though he hasn’t reached that stage yet.
                David hopes to remain in good health for a long time.  His health is really paramount in his life right now and it should be no matter the circumstances.
                The thought of such a surgery that David has is unheard of, but it happened.  He is a new person now writing a book.
                David is a person who is willing to persevere as a person and a writer.  He knows that the writing world is subjective and over time he knows his writing will turn great in style.
                Perseverance is a trait a writer learns to understand.  The process of writing can be challenging and even more challenging to get published.
                David’s mind works well with writing.  He knows that writing is in him and the more he creates as a writer the better he feels spiritually and psychologically.
                David is totally alone in his apartment.  He is brainstorming and coming up with new ideas for his novel.
                The more David adds to this story the better he feels about it.  This is just the way he feels in general now and continues to write as time passes him by.
                Nobody really heard about this accident that David went through.  His parents are both dead and he really doesn’t have friends.
                David knows people in passing, but doesn’t really have friends that are true to him.  This kind of life doesn’t bother him.  However, he needs to really trust someone to be their friend.  Trust is something that means to the world to David.
                David wonders how long he should make this story.  He doesn’t have a set plan, but knows it will be long.
                He knows that his writing has improved greatly over time.  This is just something he understands and believes in.  He feels really content with his writing for the time being.
                It has been quite a life for David.  Most people would have never survived such an operation in the way he did.
                Decapitation is devastating.  There is really no change anyone can be saved from this.  However, David did and his life has become greater because of it. Writing is what really inspires him now and will for as long as he lives.
                The amount of work performed on David was amazing.  Blood was all over the place in his vehicle when he was found.
                Nobody, I mean nobody really knew if he was going to survive.  However, scientists and surgeons found a way for him to live.  This seems really surreal, but David is alive and well now.
                David is truly a survivor in every meaning of the word.  He is a person who will continue to persevere in life.
                David is a person who is to be admired.  He was granted a second chance of life after being almost totally killed in the car accident he was in.
                The story continues forward for David as he writes it.  He becomes more confident as the story continues to unfold.
                David loves the whole topic of this story.  He never knew that it could develop this way and continues to make more sense to him as he writes it.
                David adds more characters to this story.  It is going better than planned and this feels great to David.
                David feels that this story will be great because it is totally original in plot.  This is what he wants out of a story no matter what he writes about.
                David hasn’t had any health problems after going through this complicated surgery.  He actually feels like a better person.
                David believes that the future will be bright for him.  He doesn’t feel agitated or annoyed with anything and this is definitely a positive way to view life.
                David before is surgery liked life, but never had the creative bursts he uses now to write.  He rarely wrote before his horrific accident.
                He has been writing a lot now and feels great about it.  He believes that this story will be great because it is original and it is a story that will entertain other readers.
                As the years and time passes, David becomes great at writing.  He has had books and short stories published.
                David’s health has remained great.  The decapitation was horrific obviously, but he feels better that his life is totally on track.
                What does the future continue to hold for David?  This is really only a question he can answer.  However, he will continue to prosper as a freelance writer.
                This is the mystery of life.  The future is a concept that is hard to understand and predict.  If one works hard toward a goal, anything can happen.  In the case of David it is freelance writing.  Take care, David, and continue to write for as long as you can.
 
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