I was a bit startled by the sudden pop-up.
With an exclamation sign, it speechlessly cried:
"Do you want to archive your old items now?"
Before clicking 'Yes' I could not suppress
the desire to casually scrutinize some of the files
from erstwhile.
It was then that I found that sepia-toned photo
from a long time ago.
I clicked the button and the picture began to open
like a suspense presentation.
And lo!!! the screen was soon exuberant
with the boyish delight
of a face that was raw and digitized.
I was besieged by a certain memory of a bygone memory.
The face;
resembled me and seemed pure and unsullied
...sans any imprints of time.
I was exhilarated
as I had not hurriedly superannuated
that amber shaded, nascent and jaded
photo-file.
After all, It was me of my teens!!!
Lost in reverie, I hit: "Save as JPEG"
but the computer reparteed: "Can not save. Read-only"
And then: "Do you want to save with a different name?"
As I clicked 'No', I seemed to know that it was
as futile to save the file, as it is to try to replicate
that ‘flower-in-a-bloom’ smile
...again.
Somehow, it seemed inappropriate to keep a counterfeit
of what was then authentic.
So, I took a while to carefully feel the rays of innocence
exuding from the screen and then exhaled,
clicked 'close' and ...let it go.
Inspired by the longing to recapture childhood and the realization that the arrow of time always points ahead and there is no way to turn back the clock.
