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I was here almost every day, if not every day, when I wasn't eating at Pret a Manger or at the wonderful Whole Foods Market, both just a tube stop away in High Street Kensington. I would stop here before and after class, and I would grab a sandwich, a bag of crisps, and a bottle of water, and then sit at the farthermost table of the cafe across the way and eat, while watching all of the people go by. Or sometimes I would just stop by after class and grab a few bottles of water and some ready to eat essentials to take home with me. Or sometimes I would even stop by here before class and grab a sandwich and some crisps and a bottle of water, even if I knew that I was already late to class. Nobody really cared anyway. Good times...and some interesting memories that I will always have. Forever. London was the best time of my life. I really miss it. I wish that I was still there. I really miss it. There were some things that were not great, but it was the best time of my life. Period. I loved it so much. I really loved being in London. It was a time of freedom and adventure for me. I loved it. I wish that I could go back there right now. I miss it so much. I mourn for that time in my life every day now. That was the best time of my life. Sigh... 
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In the farthermost corner of the cafe across from Waitrose in the Gloucester Arcade
on the chair behind the wall where no one will see him
Emil sits with his head in a bag
a half eaten Waitrose Cheddar Ploughmans Sandwich on the table in front of him,
My favorite sandwich from Waitrose. I ate this almost every day. So good. I loved it! 
Image Source
a packet of crisps and a Scottish Mineral Water, the bottle emptied in three gulps
I bought this every time that I went to Waitrose.
My favorite crisps from Waitrose. I loved these. So good!
try not to panic try not to panic try not to panic
holy shitface i’m panicking breathe in breathe out come on now
he sits up, gasping
looks around quickly
no one has seen him
he puts his head down into the bag again
tries not to scream
images of flashing lights speeding past him
sirens squealing to a stop
he hears the jingle of the bells on the door
boots stomping through
try not to panic
try not to panic
he rocks back and forth as tears slip from his eyes
the bag is stained brown
in his pocket he still has the knife
crusted with blood
what will they do to him?
“I hear that there are no Cheddar Ploughmans Sandwiches in prison,” the voice says
Where did that come from?
he looks up just as two helmeted officers step in
London’s finest
“Emil Langdon, come with us.”
He grins, takes out his knife
trails it slightly across his throat
drawing a thin trail of blood
they wrench his arms behind him
the knife drops, skittering across the floor
he is frog-marched out to the squad car
“Its coz I’m black, innit?” he says, grasping for straws
where there are none
I miss this place!!! Ahh! How I miss this place! This used to be my daily routine when I was in London. Ahh! How I bleeping miss this place! I want to go back there...
Ah, so many memories. I used to go through that archway every day when I was in London...SIGH...I really miss London...I want to go back...I wish that I was still there right now at this very moment! I wish that I could have stayed there permanently, if that were even possible...Sigh
Note: This poem was written for and inspired by the Inspiration Monday prompt “Try not to scream” from BeKindRewrite. I used the prompts “Try not to scream” and “Airless” for my inspiration here. You can visit their blog by clicking on the image below:
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As much as you emphasize how much you miss London, it makes me want to obtain a passport and fly across the pond to check it out firsthand. The buildings are beautiful for sure. I think a lot of our architecture, and certainly many of our American cities, streets, and even ‘home plan’ names are derived from our English ties, especially on the East Coast. I very much enjoyed the trip with you as a guide. Hopefully, one day my budget will allow me to visit the city in person. For now, it looks like I am stuck being an internet observer. So thanks for the sharing.
It really surprises me how much I realize that everywhere is like everywhere else. English has become the lingua franca of the world, and it still surprises me whenever I see the streets and cities of another country, how much their buildings and their homes look just like our own. Everywhere really is like everywhere else, and most of the world looks like here. It boggles my mind. We imagine foreign cities to be these different and exotic places, but really everywhere else looks so much like here. It surprises me how much this is true. So much so that when I was walking down the street when we were returning from a field trip with one of the professors that I had while I was in London, I said to him “All of these houses look almost exactly the same to the ones back home, and the streets look so much the same too, they look just like the streets back home…” And he made some offhand remark about the architecture being the same, and about how many homes in the USA where built in a similar architectural way to the homes in England, but I hadn’t really been referring to the architecture, only to the way that it surprised me how much everywhere else really looks like here. So true. Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting, I really appreciate it. Stop by again soon!
I recall one of my teachers indicating before university that those days at the university and the friendships developed during those days would be the best of all…she was I believe right.
Oh my, I’d like to see you go back to London and be happy there then. How awful to miss a place so much. Why not? Go!
Its not that simple and its not that easy…I really wish that it were. I really miss my time in London so much, and I wish that I could go back there every day. It wasn’t all fun and roses, though, but I still miss it more than I can say. I guess I miss the sense of freedom and the wonderful sense of adventure and excitement and possibility that I had while I was there. I remember being on the bus one day and suddenly thinking “I could get used to this life, I could settle in here and I could really get used to this life and to this routine.” Oh how I wish that I could have stayed in London permanently! I could have lived there for the rest of my life. It was then that I knew that I had arrived: I had gotten so used to my routine that I could have been comfortable living there forever. So sad, I really miss my time there so much, and all of the experiences that I had while I was there, and visiting other cities in Europe as well. All of the stories that I could tell…So many good and not so good memories to have as well…London will remain in my mind forever…I will never ever ever ever ever forget London as long as I live. Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting, I really appreciate it. Stop by again soon!
I’ve always wanted to go, and now, cannot.
Thanks for the compelling journey! Well done…
I sincerely hope that you will get the chance to go to London some time in the future. It will be an experience that will be well worth your time, and you will never ever forget it. Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting, I really appreciate it. I am so glad that you liked it. Stop by again soon.
You make me want to get on a plane and go.
You should. You will really like it. London is a wonderful city. I was there for three months for a study abroad program at the university that I went to, and it was the best time of my life. I will never forget it. I hold on to it like a treasure of beautiful memories. Thanks so much for stopping by and subscribing, I really appreciate it. Stop by again soon.
Sounds like somebody needs to take a trip.
Ah, simple joys, the depth of homesickness (even for a place that isn’t technically home), and…violent crime! Interesting combination. I enjoyed.
Yeah. Thank you so much for stopping by and for taking the time to leave a comment here, I really appreciate it. I am so glad that you liked my reminiscences and the poem here. By the way, the poem is entirely fictional, just in case anyone was wondering about it. I did not actually witness this taking place, I just made it up in my head. It combines my memories of my time in London with some creative licence there. It is not actually true, in case anyone was wondering. Which they probably weren’t. So there it is anyhow. I am so glad that you enjoyed my piece here so much. You are most welcome here anytime, and I really look forward to seeing you around here again sometime soon. Stop by again soon!
Panic attack – brown paper bag – breathe in, breathe out – nice description.
London is better in pictures than in life…some like it though
I guess I am one of them, then! Thank you so much for stopping by and for taking the time to leave a comment here, I really appreciate it. You are most welcome here anytime, and I really look forward to seeing you around here again sometime soon. Stop by again soon.
“Enjoyable read” is not a descriptive enough phrase for how much your post here enthralled this one loyal reader. Always look forward to what you will grace your WordPress fans with next, Scriptor…
Wow, thank you so much for the wonderful compliments, Lindy! Wow! I am so glad that you enjoyed my post here so much. I always appreciate hearing what you have to say. Thank you so much!
Really great take on the prompt. I really felt sorry for him to start with until it became clear he was actually so far gone; then he was quite creepy.
London is quite an exciting place – perhaps a visit is in order?
Thank you so much for stopping by and for taking the time to leave a comment here, I really appreciate it. I am so glad that you liked my poem and the reminiscences here. I wish it were that easy…Ah, I really miss London like all get out! I really must go back there as soon as possible!
This one had EVERYTHING!
I am so glad that you liked it, Hook!
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