Tag: Reflections

Have a Cigar: Casa Turrent Serie 1901 Robusto

Chris Khatsch5 Comments

Name: Casa Turrent Serie 1901 Robusto

Country: Mexico

Shape: Parejo

Size: (5 1/4 inches x 50)

Strength: Medium to Full

I could smell
the leather armchair of a philosopher
misplaced and forgotten in a chocolate factory.

I could taste
the sweetened pain of a man biting on a leather belt
in a torture chamber.

Where does the sadism come from?

I could taste earth, wood, and chickpeas
dissolved in coffee —
muddy, Arabic coffee.

I was smoking a cigar
and nursing a twelve-year-old whisky.

“This is a good cigar,” I said to my wife
who was busy witnessing the synthesis of
people, music, and alcohol
in a failed state.

The music was loud,
the lights were dim,
the people were
cocktail-drinking, popcorn-eating zombies
wasting their lives.

Or… Were they trapped in this city
and the best they could do was
party?

And was I not like them? There,
burning valuable time.
Waiting, maybe, for something.

I was there smoking
time
like I could smoke eternity
without ever feeling bored.

I was there blurring reality
with smoke.

Have a Cigar: Casa Turrent 1880

Chris Khatsch1 Comment

Name: Casa Turrent 1880

Country: Mexico

Shape: Parejo

Size: (6 1/2 inches x 54)

Strength: Medium

Some cigars are just better than others.

The Casa Turrent 1880 is a superb cigar with chocolaty and earthy notes. It kept me company for a couple of hours on Saturday night. I paired it with blended Scotch whisky, and, I must add, I had quite a few drinks…

The smell of the cigar reminded me of campfire mixed with petrichor. It reminded me of when I was a boy scout. I believe I was smiling all the time.

It was a refreshing night. We were at an outdoor bar. The sea was beside us reflecting the moonlight. And a cool breeze caressed us every now and then. It felt like summer was finally coming to an end. But there was nothing to be sad about.

The music was loud, and my heart danced with the beat.

La Aurora Preferidos Diamond Broadleaf Robusto

Have a Cigar: La Aurora Preferidos 1903 Edition Broadleaf Robusto

Chris Khatsch1 Comment

Name: La Aurora Preferidos 1903 Edition Broadleaf Robusto

Country: Dominican Republic

Shape: Parejo

Size: Robusto (5 inches x 50)

Strength: Full

I’m glad I’m reading again. I read four books in less than one month, and Eyeless In Gaza is the fifth one. The first was Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling. The second was Nietzsche’s Twilight of the Idols. The third was Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. And the fourth was The Maths of Life and Death by Kit Yates. All of them, without exception, were great books.

The other day, I tweeted something about The Maths of Life and Death and mentioned Kit Yates, the author of the book, in my tweet. I was surprised when he retweeted me. Didn’t see it coming. It made my day.

It also made me think of something: Most of the writers I like are dead. I should read more books whose authors are still alive.

Now I’m in the sixth chapter of Eyeless In Gaza. Not much has happened so far, but Huxley’s prose style is irresistibly elegant. I like his metaphors and the literary references he makes.

The man sees things.
The man knows things.