But I have always walked
I have never looked back
But now I say – “wait a while”

“Maybe there is yet hope”
“A better day ahead”
“You have to believe…”

But who is there to listen
The ramblings of a failed fool
They fly, they fly away.

“Wait a while…”

The sparkling dreams of old
Now old and whithered with age

The mind once open and wide
Now closed in narrow chasms of age

The day is finished
And night holds sway

Never too late they say
But is that not just talk

Though hope be a mere glimmer
In the infinite depths of nothingness

Though love to me be lost
And never to be seen in the eyes of another

I dream I strive, I love
I fall, I stand, I walk

Before I retire for the night
And during the lull of the day

Sometimes when I am alone
Sometimes in filled up halls

A contraction ever so strange
My breath ever so laboured

I wonder what has changed
In me and in you

Since last I saw you smile
Since last I saw you leave

It was interesting to note that his first story about a dog and a kid had strange similarities in plot to ‘White Fang’ a book he had read only days ago. So it is a pity that he only learned much later in life that he should have tried to be a Hollywood remake-screenplay-writer than aspire to be a starving literary genius; but at that time, the limits of his potential and the practicality of plagiarism were still lost to his naive mind.

Before long, George started showing real signs of literary genius, finishing second best in recitation competitions, faking illness to read adult fiction and developing an uncanny ineptitude in physical activities. But this did not stop him from breaking his hands a total of 6 times and even managed to pass two grades without writing a single paper due to his amazing ability to break his limbs as if on command. The greatest things George achieved in his childhood were the absorption of a lot of useless facts, ‘revolutionary’ ideas and a well-developed gift of Air Castle Building.

Some teacher once called him “Jack of All Trades” upon which he took the phrase as his motto achieving amazing milestones in the fields of tree climbing, fishing and repairing machines in perfect working condition. To this day he has not realized that the teacher finished the sentence with “Master of None”; the realization of which in retrospect, would have been a terrible waste considering the advancements he has contributed to the field of kite-flying.

Upon his mother realizing that he was not fit for the real world that was India, George was bundled off to Singapore to pursue a career in engineering upon an opportunity awarded by stupendous luck and multiple administrative errors combined.

Schooling in Singapore was a tremendous success with the school holding him back for an extra semester due to their disinterest in letting their star student leave the hallowed premises. He finally was sent off with thunderous applause and high hopes of being a top engineer, one that he fulfilled by becoming a bartender after a series of highly successful interviews for other positions.

Needless to say Bartending and George were a match made in heaven with their love for booze and the opposite gender while vehemently opposing the corrupting influences of sobriety and the same gender; the former of which being infinitely dangerous than the latter. Fast forward 2 years, George was mentioned in a shady Expat magazine as the man behind the best Martinis in Singapore upon which he decided to leave the game at the pinnacle of his career.

Jumping straight from the booze business, George started exploring the wild west of internet marketing filled with ‘bull-talkers’ and ‘fortune-prospectors’, an area he got interested in since managing the marketing side of his “Boardwalk Empire”. Upon realizing his absolute lack of talent in ‘Bull’ related marketing, he embarked on a journey to get some bread and butter by joining the legions of a multi-national hospitality company as a telemarketer.

After festering in the backwaters of telemarketing hell, he finally plucked up the courage and started up a pilot internet marketing program in the brick and mortar multi-national company where he worked. Unfortunately this became successful and it instantly transformed him from unused asset to a useless and dangerous asset much to the ire of his superiors who did not know how exactly to deal with channels that had positive ROI.

Thankfully during the festering season, George had blundered his way through the web-design minefield and had a half-decent client-base who had a very low opinion of his ability to drink while standing on his head. Along with web-design George also blundered through creating a record label which ultimately prospered after they kicked him out. This enabled George to undergo a simulated epiphany that convinced himself that entrepreneurship is the only way to live a lazy jolly good life.

So to everyone’s relief, George jumped overboard into the great unknown of entrepreneurship and has never been heard from since. He is said to haunt the corridors of Chaosactive Enterprises but there is no material proof to ascertain this insane lie. Many of those who followed his life are pretty damn sure that George was the one and only true re-incarnation of Chuck Norris, a fact vehemently contested by Elvis fans. For all we know the great humanoid literary prodigy named Abhishek Cherian George is lost to the seas of entrepreneurship forever.

The decks have stopped spinning
And we stop dancing

The spell is broken
Magic mysterious no more

We had our time in the sun
Now we fade to black

We had great times and fun
Now we fade to black

This love is immortal
Living proof to my foolishness
Plundering my happiness
Unearthing my emptiness

This life is but fleeting
We hold on to nothingness
We are but dust and sand
Shifting through winds of time

I thank the gods above
For those who plot my fall
For they have opened my eyes
To the kindness around me

I thanks the powers above
For the mistakes I have made
For they have forged me
To the steel I am today

It matters not where I am
Or if pain or revelry come my way
It matters most what I do
It matters just how I walk

I need strength to stand
I need a place to rest

When you want something
The universe conspires for you

But then its tests you
To see if you are worthy

My test is killing me
My test is moulding me

I am scorched like clay
I am stressed like coal

I will harden to live
I will shine and survive