Imperfect information
You
and I
face off
with
battleships
on
secret
squares
sequentially
taking
pot
shots
wherever we
choose.
A
thin board
separates
our
lines
of sight
A
thick
carpet,
underneath.
This
is
a sequential game
even
when
I
attack
out
of
turn
each
and
every move
is
built
on the
one before.
Round
after
round
we proudly announce
a
target
square.
Sometimes
we
hit
Sometimes
we
m
i
s
s
But
never
fail to
attack.
Salvo,
my friend
When
you are most
relaxed
and think
all is
calm waters.
As
long as
there
are ships
afloat
There
will be
missiles
launched
across
these
now choppy seas.
Salvo,
my friend
All
shots at once
against
our better
judgment.
As
long as
there
are missiles
to launch
There
will be
ships
targeted
aggravating
these
now choppy seas.
But
once it is
clear
there
is some
chance at
sinking
even
one
ship
We
pull
back,
bend
the
rules,
re-
arrange
our
positions,
midway,
put some
ships
in reserve,
deny
any
cease fire
and
secretly
fill out
our
battle reports.
-zumwalt (2011)
zumpoems 
Comments on: "Imperfect information" (22)
all i can do is smile when i read this because i enjoyed it so much!! 😀
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Life is a game of strategy!
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you are selected for the Liebster Blog award
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abchicha, willow and zendictive,
Thanks!
zendictive, thanks so much for you kind words on your blog and for the selection!
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This is surely an online game? electronic game? I love the tactic of “putting some ships in reserve and re-arranging our positions”. Reconfiguring one’s “groups” is often very helpful, don’t you find, in real life?
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granbee,
Thanks for reading and for the comment. Battleship is an old boardgame, which I would guess is playable online nowadays.
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I love the connection with life a game of stradegy. It brought back a memory of the song “Love is a Battlefield”. Very well done.
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The repetition injected near the end is very effective. What a great metaphor. The human emotions conveyed are deep and potent
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🙂 Congratulations with your award!
Never fail to attack… That part of this poem will linger in my mind for while.
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I really love this poem
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poetofmidnight, Vampire Weather, Ina and tshauambea,
Thanks for reading and commenting!
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dang! we have a game which is called “Schiffe versenken” – > sinking ships and sometimes it seems the “grown ups” playing on and on..and don’t realize it’s real people and real pain and real ships..
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claudia,
Yes — definitely sounds like our battleship. Thanks for reading and commenting!
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Battleships… I know the game, and that this is the way many play real life… The repetition of first lines (Salvo, my friend) or phrases (As long as) in certain stanzas is very effective, as are conflicting interpretations of the use of “Salvo” and especially, with the more common meaning, the juxtaposition of “Salvo” with “my friend.”
Brilliant!
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Ruth,
Yes, many get caught up in games without knowing it. We all play games — so I guess it comes down to 1) awareness and 2) willingness. 🙂
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having grown up on a steady diet of Battleship, I read this poem at least five times…it just has that draw. I appreciate Ruth’s comment too, and especially in relation the the last few lines; yes…keep firing even when you’ve quit, lest any weakness show.
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saffronsound,
Yes, spot on — sometimes cease fires don’t occur early enough — like the myth/part-truth of the Hatfields and the McCoys.
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nice..it sounds like battleship…but also like the basis of many a human relationship as well…
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I love battleship and used to play it with my kids! I like the way you’ve used it here 🙂
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Never let your guard down and attack out of turn. This sounds like marriage pre-divorce and not just a board game, Zum!
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It’s soooo romantic!
I hope my perception is right? Cuz i see tense and intense passion and chemistry! 😉
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brian, Poetry & Icecream, Monica and A Pakistani Boy,
Thanks for visting and the comments.
It’s interesting the angles of intepretation here — I guess just like the boardgame not all information is available so arguments, passion, truces, etc. are probably all valid intepretations.
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