Never forget smoking

Gold cherry

By poetjude

Sat, 23 Jan 2016
  • 3387 reads
7 comments
 

 

The art of failing is easy to master, and after the first time

I rolled a cigarette, the skill remained, honed to a

production line perfection of premature death.

Learning to smoke with kiddie lungs takes time

but is never unlearned like spellings sometimes are.

 

I still forget how to spell

‘conscience’ ‘success’ and ‘separate’

But years of giving up, still make a perfect rollie

the small comfortable crutch of habit is like

returning home.

Certificate U
Poem
3 Viva Pathways
Autobiography

Comments

Submitted by london_calling79 on

I love the little world of this. Very well chosen images which develop the conceit. 'Unlearned like spellings' is one of my favourites.

 

Submitted by Bee on

Like the idea of perfecting the art of failure, something as practiced as rolling a fag - both ever to be successful. 

Bee

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on

pj - this is a gem...good to read you again, and I hope things are OK with you.

Tina

 

Submitted by tcook on

How good to see you around again! A great piece too - I've smoked one of those with you!

This is our Pick of the Day.

Submitted by lenchenelf on

..and successfully conveys amongst other many other inherent themes, simplicity and complexity of learned motor skills/comfort/autopilot as part of addiction/comfort process (mimes filling and switching on electric kettle)  Like,like, like.

Best wishes Lena xxxxxxxx

 

Submitted by Philip Sidney on

A great treat when we were children was to roll our parents' cigarettes using a little roller contraption, not healthy but it was a bonding thing, sitting round the table after breakfast, fond memories.  I've stopped smoking now but your poem reminds me of the familiar comfort of the ritual.

Submitted by blighters rock on

Read this with my first roll up of the day. As with every day for the past x years this is preceded by waking up and wondering whether I'll do something different today. It's such slavery now and easy to notice how it dulls my mind rather than give me that kick like in the old days. I've bought the nylons and trainers but getting up, eating that grapefruit sat on the counter and putting them on to go down the gym still eludes me. Actually I tell a lie. I went to the gym for the first time yesterday lunch and didn't want a smoke for at least two hours afterwards. I was pooped and got a stitch but those few hours were full of clean thought. Now I'm having my second roll up...I'm one of those 'everything's meant' people and that really pisses a close friend off. She's of the 'nothing comes without effort' ethic and I'm coming round to her way of thinking but being inherently lazy it's going to mean a complete life change if I'm to give up smoking. Then there's the prospect of being hyper-vigilant about everything, but that's probably the smoke talking. Like you say it's easy to fail.