"I shall be like a tree planted by the river ... " Psalm 1:3
A child born during thunderstorm that
Braved thunder lightning, grew up but
Could not cope brother Dane’s death
Depression, fear took an ugly turn
Even as comforted by his calm-
Father, a revered church priest who
Gave his child - 6yr old Nikola all the wanted love,
Handed him the precious Bible and
Inspired him with stories of Lord that
Just made boy Nikola learn and
Know the Bible by heart. Nikola
Learned Czech, Serbo-Croatian from
Mother who taught him patience -
Nurturing talent, creativity and
One of a kind eidetic memory
Procuring him scientific spirit and
Quest for wisdom that became a
Rage making Nikola never once
Stop in his storming life or
Tire from the hardships that
Unfolded at his each step of success
Veracity stood by Nikola Tesla who
Worked frantically for 20 hours a day
Xper who found use of alternating current
Yearned for peace in war torn world
Zap was life of such an illustrious man.
My pools of words are not limited to English.
I was a missionary in France and Belgium, so learned French.
I studied Spanish in college for several years afterwards.
The US Army had me learn Russian during the Cold War,
Then cross-trained me into Serbo-Croatian during the Bosnia/Kosovo Wars.
I spent about 7 years stationed-residing in West Germany and Germany.
Like German, Slavic-derived languages are very root-driven.
The most romantic word I ever heard is "izabranica" (pronounced izabranitsa).
Typical banal English translations do not give the word justice.
Usually it is put forward as an endearment such as 'darling' or 'sweetheart'.
But my favorite Serbo-Croatian word means so much more.
The root of the word is 'bran'; 'braniti' means to select or gather.
The suffix 'ica' is a feminine ending, often used for people.
The prefix 'iza' means "out from". So what does "izabranica' really mean?
Means more than just your one true love; more than just your soulmate...
It means the woman you chose out from among all others, your izabranica.
I somehow missed the nineties
As far as pop culture was concerned
I spent a lot of it overseas
Watching as the Balkans burned
I had learned Russian for the Army
But the Russian Bear was no longer wild
About the time they reunited Germany
I gained a brand new wife and child
With the fall of the Soviet Union
I thought the world might finely be sane
Then I cross trained into Serbo-Croatian
As Yugoslavia went up in flame
The Army was not a free ride
I did several deployment rotations
Monitoring war crimes like genocide
Or in Macedonia with the United Nations
The nineties ended quietly
At least from what I remember
I was focused then on family
Until that fatal 11 September
Warrior Poet, newest nom de plume for Mark Halliday
An American citizen, gained a taste for living abroad as a LDS missionary.
Retired in 2007 as a Staff Sergeant from the US Army (20 years service);
Really preferred assignments in Germany over Macedonia and Iraq.
Instrumentalist, he learned to plays (in order): piano, flute, synthesizer,
Organ, guitar, fife, keyboards, acoustic and electric and bass guitars.
Reads a lot, mostly military science fiction novels. Loved Marvel Comics.
Prior studied French, Spanish, German, Russian, and Serbo-Croatian;
Only writes lyrics and poetry though in English and French to Nelly (Mrs H).
Enjoys cooking stroganoff, lasagna, choucroute garni, and couscous.
Trying today to get a job in France; will be flying to Paris October 12th.
Mark Halliday
20141003, Monterey Calif.
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