I took my cigarette and took a long puff. The cauterizing air filled me and then I deeply inhaled, feeling the slow toxin coursing through and filling my lungs. The smoky thoughts started swirling as I pondered over a question one of my friend asked a couple of days back, “Why did you start smoking again?” Actually, it was not a conscious decision, rather an answer to my escapism and loneliness. I had abstained from smoking for 9 long years. The first time I started when I was a teenager, just to get the kick out of being macho; to try and impress others in some silly way, convinced that it'll make me appear older than my peers. Boyish fascination for attaining early manhood. Then after a few years I quit, for no reason in particular and now the old ghost is back.
A parable is coming to my mind which I heard from my friend D. It went like this, once Prophet Mohammed was walking through a dessert when he saw a snake dying. He picked up the snake and nursed it. As soon as the snake got better it asked Mohammed, why he had taken care of a venomous snake like him. Mohammed replied that it was in his nature to take care for any ailing life. Then the snake replied that as it was Mohammed's nature to take care of all living beings, the snake's nature was to bite anything that touched it. So, the snake asked the Prophet for permission to follow its nature. The Prophet agreed to it and the snake bit Him on His hand. The Prophet then sucked the blood out from there and spit it out on the ground. From that spit a plant grew which was the tobacco plant, and thus the tobacco has the venom of a snake and the soothing charm of Prophet.
Every time I pick up a fag, the first few drags are so wonderful, refreshing but after a while it gets boring. The smoke starts tasting bitter and then gradually the fire starts dying down leaving the last few puffs. Which is when I oddly realize that my companion is leaving me, maybe a little too early. I try to hold on to it a little longer and take the last puff, inhaling the smoke and holding my breath for those few seconds, bidding adieu until I lit my next one.
2 comments:
hmmm... do you happen to hold conversation with your companion or is it just sucking the life outta him? heh... good post
@Gats: Actually my companion is one fine listener, so the conversations always restricts itself to me and the best thing is that he actually helps me spin quite a few threads... And in the whole process his soul touches my heart(pun intended) :)
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