Solace and a World of Adventure

This post is a little prose I am writing off the top of my head right now. Sometimes I just get that little urge to write something and it keeps nagging at me until I release is from its prison known as my mind. Enjoy!

As I walk along this abnormal path lined by empty strips of where places of business used to be and the butts of many cigarettes tossed there just like the life of the person who pressed that filthy thing to their lips, I can see it there in the distance, waiting for me to escape reality and enter its gates of wonder and imagination.

I reach the entrance and slowly creep up its marble stairs which gleamed as the sunbeams dashed upon them, unlike the broken, dirty, concrete I had just left behind. I glance straight up at its towering height and see above me branded upon its face the words "Lakewood Public Library." Those words translate in my mind to "The keys to an imagination's paradise."

Walking down the corridor, the walls are lined with pictures taken from the eyes of the very souls who live in this small city. They sort of greet you giving you one last look from many different views of this town before you escape into a world of your own. I turn left and begin walking down isles and isles of literature with bindings so flashy that the colors just overwhelm you.

One isle in particular has a brilliance of colors that it's nearly impossible to not remove a book from its home let alone pass the enter shelf completely. Beaches, buildings, jungles, wonders, city lights, and so much more advertise what the world has to offer. Italy, Belize, India, Fiji, France, Germany, New York City. All these names and more bombard your eyes, trying desperately to grab your attention. I lay my hand upon a shelf, ready to select my first adventure. But then slowly, I let my hand drop back to its side and pass through without even rescuing one book from its motionless state. What caused me not to see what a new land has to offer, what treasures were out there calling to me, what sensations my senses itched to discover? It's the fact that these books are not enough. I long to travel, to see the world. I've seen many pictures of the Statue of Liberty, the Roman Colosseum, the Grand Canyon, the Eiffel Tower, and even the Northern Lights. I've made lists upon lists of places I want to visit and researched countless times of what wonders are out there. But I've been disappointed before. So close on the edge of actually seeing those dreams fulfilled only to have them shattered like glass. Opening those treasure troves only makes me yearn even more for that adventure, yet leaves me empty knowing it will be along time before I have a chance to see such awe.

Leaving reality behind I come across an array of quests waiting to be conquered. Selecting a few, I retreat to a cozy chair a crack open the contents. All is quiet and peaceful, except for the occasional screaming of someone's bratty child who hasn't had a good spanking in a long time if even ever. I tone out the ear-bleeding cries and fall into an extraordinary rabbit hole that even Alice would be proud of.

I have once again been through a battle through the eyes of a navy seal, swung blades with a demon-possessed pirate thirsty for blood, rode on my trusty steed next to a king who's fame is even beyond him, and even learned about the world of tipping from Sin City to the Big Apple.

Suddenly the hands of my watch flash an undesirable hour and I realize I must come back to complete reality. I return the key to lands beyond my wildest imagination to its place, knowing that someone else will stumble upon its magic just as I had. I step out into the bright sunlight and a grin breaks my still complexion. Until next time my old friend.

One-Eyed Jack

As promised, here is the first of my many pieces of work that will appear hear. Please feel free to critique it so I can perfect it. It's one of my personal favorites and the entire idea came to me by Timothy Miller placing a plastic spoon over his right eye...no joke. Enjoy!

One-Eyed Jack

By Josh Watkins

One-eyed Jack,

Scourge of the seven seas.

The wind at his command,

It bows below his knees.

The blade on his belt,

Clings firmly to his side;

It deals menacing blows,

While controlling a battle’s tide.

His face bears many wounds,

Each pulsing with hate;

Fear rules his foes’ hearts,

For death is their ultimate fate.

Treasure is his lust,

Gold his only love.

Diamonds emblaze his fingers,

Emeralds, his battle glove.

There on the horizon,

A mighty ship he spies.

Tis a Spanish galleon,

A vast and noble prize.

The sea grows cold and gray,

For blood is about to be shed,

A deadly battle is about to rage,

Soon to turn the once blue waters red.

He hoists the Jolly Roger

To the top of the mast,

Sending the captain a message,

This battle is to be his last.

The captain turns his vessel,

And opens the cannon doors,

How he longs to be fighting

Back on the English moors.

“Be brave!” the captain shouts

“This brigand we must slay!

To his Maker he must go;

For his evil deeds he must pay!”

The captain could now see Jack’s eye,

His cold and deadly stare,

Neither man backed down,

Both ready to face the guns’ flare.

Jack grinded his teeth,

The captain clenched his fists,

“OPEN FIRE!” they both yelled,

And the guns blazed through the mist.

Iron balls tore through the sky,

Splintering wood and goring flesh,

Men lay dead in the sea,

The decks are a bloody mess.

  The captain makes a daring charge,

Sailing within mere feet,

Fearing not the imminent danger,

One-eyed Jack he soon shall meet.

The ships suddenly collide,

With a splintering crash.

Pirates board the galleon,

Blades of cutlasses flash.

The captain sees the white of Jack’s eye,

And his menacing grin.

His hand he places upon his sword

Praying this isn’t a sin.

The captain and Jack drew their steel,

Clashing in a fiery rage,

Bullets flew, men fell,

Chaos filled the stage.

The established sea-men

Could not push back the scum

They moved by the will of demons,

Fueled by fire and rum.

The captain was losing,

Jack’s crew had him beat.

Their future looked grim,

There was no retreat.

Suddenly there was a violent blast,

Two gapping holes were made.

Both ships were doomed,

A noble sailor’s debt was paid.

Jack roared with rage,

His eye became blood red,

Seeing all that gold

Spilling onto the sea bed.

The disturbed pirate lost control,

Swinging wildly to strike a blow.

But the captain fought on,

Changing the battle’s flow.

The pirates tried to retreat,

But their sloop had just sunk,

They were now like rats

Trapped on a Chinese junk.

Jack made a run for the gold,

As his crew abandoned ship,

He took a blade across his back

And a bullet in his hip.

“To the life boats!”

The captain yelled.

“Not one more soul

On this day shall be felled!”

The captain drew his pistol,

At Jack’s head he aimed,

This pirate would die,

Broken, wounded, and maimed.

Jack laughed an evil laugh,

And drew his cutlass high,

He charged the captain straight,

Ignoring the pain in his thigh.

The pistol spewed shots of death,

Two went low and two went high,

One lead ball hit its mark,

Right through Jack’s good eye.

The smoke from the burning hull

Clouded the once clear air,

The captain abandoned ship,

Waiting no longer did he dare.

 The survivors rowed

Out of harm’s way,

Thanking God that they

Lived to fight another day.

Another explosion then rocked the sky,

Gold and debris rained down,

Yet the body of One-eyed Jack

Was nowhere to be found.

Today as ships sail,

Not a sailor has the lack,

To tell the legend

Of One-eyed Jack.