The Creaking Chair - Part VIII

22nd March 1999

When you are my age, 

the best way to have an adventure 

is to travel down the memory lane 

And I was feeling quite adventurous today,

So I decided go up to the attic 

It was quite a climb by the way 

12 steps on a rickety DIY wooden steps

fun fact : the attic used to be my Man Den 

everything there was fashioned by me 

right from the hidden pool table to the bar counter

There was even a hidden stash of condoms

though I don't remember ever making love with anyone in my den 

for there were always rules right that you don't break 

I still have my doubts though on Samir 

It was during the summer of 88

when he had come over to live at my place with his fiance for a month

The attic now seemed to me like a warehouse of memories

Those stacked piles of DC comics and the coverings on the wall to make it sound proof

I was a peculiar case. I loved to watch all creations from Marvel on screen

But when it came to reading, only DC could satisfy me 

It was here that I had developed my first love for heavy metal

and for opera towards to later half of my youth 

On the improvised bar cabinet rest the hard bound notebook

It was a gift from Harshita with a message 

"Don't stop writing and share your works with me"

I filled that notebook about half way through 

That's when we had broken up 

The book was now a dichotomy 

The first half resembled the musings of Pablo Neruda 

And the second half more like those of Charles Bukowski

I must have spent so many nights ranting into those blank pages 

I can go on with these memories for hours

There are so many of these filling the air inside these 4 walls 

But I must concentrate 

What I came here was for that scrap book

The one which became the vessel for my passion for photography

Those 6 weeks of wanderings in the alps in New Zealand 

And the best picture 

Me holding the book crouching like Gollum

with the look in my eyes that says "My Precious"

P.S. - I am planning to camp in my man den during the week of my birthday 

P.P.S. - I confirmed with Samir. The bugger did use my stash ...

~ Ashk

For the complete series, visit - http://www.ashksymphony.com/p/the-creaking-chair.html