Virginia by Eric Shelman

Virginia

Stationed at the U.S. Navy in Norfolk Naval Station, for four years, I was.

Mall rat my first two years, I was

wandering around, buying whatever I wanted without a budget

while listening to my favorite music blaring in my ears from a CD player.

Went to local, and famous concerts every night except for my days on twenty-four hour duty days in port

Not knowing who most of the bands were

Moshed in pits

Attending Warped Tour twice there.

Saw several art museums

Exihiting art from local, famous, and antiutity artists, was entranced by some of it.

Went to open Mic nights in person at a whole in the wall coffee shop

read and recited my poetry there

met a beautiful singer/songwriter who tied on a singer/songwriter competition.

Went to a secluded park with her where she sang a song about me that she wrote and she asked me to write two poems

one on defining order, other one on chaos

I wrote her a poem to and about herself called Gayla Robinson.

Drank American and foriegn alochol every night after turning twenty-one

Gluttonessly, enjoying them in order to black out and oliberate my pyschological

      problems

including homesickness, anxiety,

      depression.

however only temporarily buzzing and waking up with all of my problems again every morning.

Had orders on my first ship USS Austin LPD-4 there 

My second ship USS Forrest Sherman DDG-98 as well

Participated in safety fire and General Quarters drills

Broke up lots of rusty spots

made primer a and b mixed them

applied them and painted our ships

Frequented Virginia Beach,

every chance l could

swam out 400 yards, broke waves, and

      wakes

had signs of cuss words bleeped out because it was illegal to cuss there and I almost got a ticket for saying Goddamnit

however I talked my way out of it

Had a wager with a few fellow sailors to see who could swim out the furthest

Talked to religious extremists on the boardwalks screaming Hell and damnation for the sinner and nonbelievers.

Telling them to shut up and that l didn't believe in their god or any god for that matter.

Caught a flounder the first time l fished in the ocean by myself on a Jetty.

Had ship picnics at parks.

Went to a non-secluded park wrote and sang songs with my fellow sailor 

walked the park

thoroughly enjoying the scenery of a pond with ducks and geese in it with trees

       everywhere

it is a beautiful state nature wise.

Had the best catch-of-the-day sushi at a restaurant called Domino's where they let you watch them cut up fresh fish up and make it into sushi rolls or sashimi

where they made into different designs like spiders and several others

loved their Wasabi and Saki as well.

Visited a hibachi bar called Kyoto,

where I drank out if glasses that were shaped as Siddhartha Guatama, ninjas

samurais, and a few others that I can't recall right this second

loved their saki, and Asahi, Japanese beer

that was so fine it has the smoothness of wine.

Dancing at their finest clubs and bars

Drinking alochol and eating American foods 

Checked out their Go-Go-Girl joints

which were the closest they had to strip clubs.

Went to recreational centers on base

Where I did my laundry

Played on the Internet

video games, and pool

Drank and ate there as well

Met strangers and became friends with fellow Sailors from other ships

a few Marines that were stationed there

Played hacky sack and invited bystanders to join in and some came and played with me.