Thinking

121020-N-KI874-001

Epitaph

Fingertips on the keys typing heartfelt stories

For the woman whose heart fell too many stories

Here I am at your funeral wearing what I wore on our first date

The whole town is here

I showed up drunk smelling of beer

Everyone is wearing black

and my eyes did as well

the eye shadow of fists

temporary imprints

with a slight hint of blue

I know who killed you
and they said I’m next



my fate is in Florida
flooded with fantasy
forever fighting the fever
the feeling of your warmth
I’m basking in your eyes


I’m not an American
Nor do I fight for this country
I fight for Florida
And so the sun may shine
As I set sail for France
Where vineyards await
And grapes to be ate
Sing hymns for the traveler
And may his way be paved
Without him knowing

This poetry is atrocious and timely it is
I carve my name as this is written in the stone
of plastic clocks timing this sequence of words
spewed from the lips and tongue of a navy sailor
whose mouth is filled with vulgarisms
yet a body incompatible with its own speech


a baseball bat to the head
is what I said when asked
how I felt or a belt to the chin
forever marking my skin
Immortal through these words
I need no next of kin

Congratulations
You made it
and here we are
nowhere

shun their teachings
and run wild in the margins
you didn’t have to die


Love,
Louie

Paris and Friends

I stared at this glossy map for a while before I made any decision. My eyes were level with Madagascar. I had no intention of going there but I did some research to pay off my curiosity  and the more of it I did the more I was set on traveling there.

I wasn’t entirely sure however. I’ve never been to London or Rome, Tokyo or Sydney, Dublin or St. Petersburg and these are all places I planned on visiting. Something about Iceland had always intrigued me. I studied the life of Bobby Fischer for a bit and I remember how he had found asylum there.  

My life as an amateur chess player has taken a hiatus, but I was still interested in pursuing the culture.  I was looking up flights to Reykjavik at this point when I found discounted flights to Paris. I quickly did my research and without a moment’s hesitation I booked the flight.

Part of my love in traveling is not knowing exactly where I’m going. Having a plan takes away from the moment. It misguides people and keeps them from going with their instincts. I want to show up in a city and not have a clue what to do or where to go. I don’t want to be on the guest list. I’ll take my chances. Keep your itinerary and chauffeur. I’ll be out really understanding what it means to be alive.

Two of my friends from college decided this was one of my ideas they’d partake in.  Noah was my roommate and Isabella had always been a close friend. She had one last summer before she began law school and I was happy she was coming along. Why she decided to study law will never fully resonate with me. I’d much rather be with a woman with a way with words.

I arrived a week earlier then they. I had 10,000$ put away in a bank account and I didn’t plan on leaving France with any of it.

I called Isabella as I stood in the presence of the Eiffel Tower.

”Guess where I am?” I asked her.

“The Palace of Versailles, she said.

“Not quite. You know I’m waiting for you for that one.”

“You better,” she said.

“What are you doing now,” I asked.

“I’m out shopping with my mom,” Isabella said. “We just ate sushi and I’m looking for new suitcases.”

“Tell your mom I said hello.”

“I will,” she said.

“I called because I was just thinking about how I don’t want to stay in hostels for these next months,” I said.

“Where else would we stay?” She asked.

“Well I don’t know how to go about it, but I would like to rent out an apartment,” I said.

“Is that even possible?” She asked.

“I’m going to try.”

“Who is going to rent out an apartment for a couple of months anyway?”

I told her this was more than a vacation.  I told her I didn’t plan on leaving.

“I want to live and breathe this city,” I told her. “I want to become a part of it. I want to be changed by it.”

“Leonidas, you never fail to surprise me,” she said.

“I’m anxiously awaiting your and Noah’s arrival,” I told her. “I’m off. I will see you soon.”

“See you soon,” she said.

 

Is this the end or beginning

I'm in the military now. I joined the Navy about six months ago. I'm a Mass Communication Specialist. I feel as if I have changed a lot recently. The changes have been good ones and I think they will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I have two months until I'm done with being in a military training environment. After that the Navy will become more or less a job and not a constant transformation of who I am as a person.

I feel as if I left a lot behind back in my normal life. It's definately true. The only thing I wish I could have brought with me into this new lifestyle is you. I miss sharing my life with you. I never expected this to end so shortly. I've imagined and thought out this friendship for a lifetime.

I hope you hear me.

Love,
Louie

Young Fischer

Absolutely brilliant. Bobby Fischer is 13 years old and plays with such precision. It makes me want to be better. I've been studying games and moves all day. Hopefully I'll continue to do so and one day take a stab at being someone in the chess world.

That pawn

This player was well beyond my rank. I'm not even a true 1158. I spent too much time contemplating a few of my moves. When the game ended in a draw I only had 40 seconds left to his 13 minutes. I'm not sure if he noticed that because he provoked a draw. I began this game right after watching the movie "Searching For Bobby Fischer." I felt like it was my duty to play well and I did. I want to start getting more serious about chess. This is a little piece of motivation for me. There was a pawn I wanted to take in this game but I wasn't sure if it was the right move. g3 was the move I made. I wanted to protect his queen from coming in.

Library Dreams