TRANSIT (eBook)

- a motorcycle, some thoughts and observations and may little stories

Thomas Ludwig-Kelley (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023 | 1. Auflage
254 Seiten
neobooks Self-Publishing (Verlag)
9783754996980 (ISBN)

Infos

The book carries us like a Road-Movie trough all kind of situations (pleasant, scary, shocking, new) through several countries on the Balkan route . We meet all kind of interesting persons, places of beauty and ugliness . The used motorcycle is as well transport vehicle as driving act through the trip which has not to much in common with purely vacation and the pleasure of doing so.

Thomas Ludwig Kelley, painter, designer, writer, traveller , father, lover .....you name it ! Born and raised in East-Germany ending even in Stasi-Prison. Bought from the (than) West-German government finally allowed to attend universities (Aachen, Munich, Long Beach/CA) . Surviving as furniture designer for many companies in many countries. Learning to accept there is more than one way looking at something .

Textauszug

 

Thomas Ludwig Kelley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRANSIT

 

a motorcycle

some thoughts and observations

and

a lot of little stories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is not so important where you’re coming from, it is important where you going to.

(Rambling Jack Elliot)

Whatever is inside of you, one day it wants to come out.

(John Lee Hooker)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before we start

Despite some childish situations, it has to be said, this will not become a book for children.

And it should be printed on triangular paper since it doesn’t fit into categories:

it is not a travel book, but it travels! It is not a biker book, but the bike is a character!

It is not a Love Story, but about love and pain! It is not a history book, but tries not to forget history! It is not a religious book, but it deals with believing.

Believing in ourselves! There is no happy ending, no hero-theory, just life as it goes on despite all conditions.

Finally understanding why crime stories are so popular:

better hitchhiking on feelings of others than battling with your own boringness. A kind of soul-porno, a peepshow into the dark side of human existence .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Starting Gun

 

It happened very silently, concocted somehow. Just like a fart, not realizing that it had let loose.

A fart stinks, however much a relief.

For everybody who doesn’t need to smell it.

As often, hard to see the little step which divides one condition from the other. Just when it has already happened and become irreversible.

For example:

when you wake up from a nice dream in this so called reality and find out you haven’t won in the lottery.

“It is not your fault, that I’m going!”

“And it isn’t mine that you go!”

Often we don’t know exactly what we’re doing, what we should do, but we feel very clearly, we have to do it.

Are we all crazy? Ore just some of us? Or are the crazy ones those who don’t allow themselves to be crazy? The ones with cruise control in their hearts, with the thermostat in their bones. The ones who shower on Saturday and screw on Sunday! Every week! Always at the same time.

Hurting others hurts almost like being hurt yourself since you know who did it: you!

It is very difficult to point a finger at yourself. At least in a truly believable way.

And without becoming ridiculous like those Selfie-Stick-Wavers who swarm all tourist meccas like locusts, and on the internet.

“Me here, me there, me, me, me, ……” without realizing nobody gives a flying shit about all these limelight games.

Here he stands and knows, soon he will start crying. And laughing when the engine starts. The sound bouncing off the walls of the garage, the loud noise numbing feelings, beating out the rhythm of his blocked emotions.

The garage door becomes the gateway to the world out there, from darkness to light. Even while feeling the cold wind in his face. It’s still early morning and the sun battles with the clouds for center stage. Clouds, which like stubborn old people, try to stop whatever they can no longer do themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

And here she is:

just like him, showing all her years gone by. And just like him, a bit stinky at times.

Due to the fact that she spends too much time in the dark garage, she jumps at the chance to push herself into the leading role, hence becoming the common thread of this journey.

Built in 1972, nobly one-cylindered, a bastard child from her earliest days.

Born in northern Italy as a skinny Aermacchi but soon added like a little sister to her heavyweight American brothers Harley and Davidson, as if the lovechild of some extramarital fling. Out of fear of Kung Fu, Kawasaki, Honda, Karate-Kid and other raw Sushi-like stats that were pounding on the doors of “has-beens.”

And this is how she behaves, our not-so-young lady, always a bit of a princess, she wants it when she wants it or (often) not. But treated properly (naturally from her point of view, and this is what counts with ladies) she converts the beat of the piston into the purring of a horny pussycat. This is when she speaks to the rider, singing in four strokes. Then she merges with him like a centaur, steed and rider become one.

They say they were lusty folks, those centaurs.

Gadharva, lesser gods for the Indians. And just like them, often relegated to the back seats of existence.

Today she certainly triggers a few smiles, but she still shuffles along with her 30 hooves quite powerfully and carries him, when she wants, anywhere he heads her. As long as the sun is shining on the full tank and the road promises nice curves .

He thought, “grab the bike and off it goes,” southbound, there where Goethe wrote that lemons bloom………… but even that’s long-gone. The lemons of the last harvest were already sold and probably taste like old socks……….as they say.

Actually, he had never tried them, those socks.

He intended obviously the South which non-Italians dream about…

Those movies with Gina Lollobrigida, Claudia Cardinale and Marcello Mastroiani.

The problem is, this “South” doesn’t exist anymore! And for quite some time.

It didn’t even exist anymore when they made those movies.

Those movies made us all believe that real life happens just there, just south. Already then, they were romantic memories of Italians, pouring over bygone times. Or perhaps those old enough have started living in the past.

A problem we’ll be exposed to one day.

OK then, better in the North? Or even east? But then better southeast because from there it is just a little hop to the south. Simply better heated. And even better broiled. Not to mention the wine! How nice is Norway, but the wine from there?? Or Ireland, always having salmon and Guinness……?

Almost as bad as the Hamburger-Emergency in the Scottish ethno-restaurant starting with Mc. Or this un-ending marathon of Pizza in greasy stinky boxes. Many think this is an expression of Italian cuisine. Best ordered on the phone, delivered directly to the sofa .

No hello, no hi, just “ Pizza Service? One N° 3 and one N° 7 with extra cheese!”

“No, no onions!”

“Ciao, see you later.”

Not knowing that “Ciao” is used just with very close friends, kids or family.

Achen Pass

 

It started already “promisingly,” a little town right after this pass road on the Bavarian-Tirolean border, the name Schweinau (pig-meadow) should have warned him.

Remember how badly the Bay of Pigs, Cuba, in 1961 turned out…?!

In front of him a sputtering, stinking Volkswagen Beetle, clearly showing all its years.

Right turn signals, but turning left.

Sure, he knew, not to follow all blinking lights like a moth. Sometimes they’re fireflies, sometimes the girls on certain streets, sometimes airstrips ready for crash...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 9.6.2023
• Verlagsort: Berlin
• Sprache: deutsch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• Schlagworte: Food • History • joy) • Landscapes • (pain • People • Travelling
• ISBN-13: 9783754996980 / 9783754996980