Cough

A few reasons to stop smoking

Cough

You sit, and you stare, and say, "No more"

You've said that endless times before

"This time I mean it..." but you don't

You say you'll quit, but know you won't

You're ruled by habit, not your brain

In spite of knowledge, cough and pain

 

Your children urge, "Give up this stuff"

Your husband says, "It's not too tough"

But you, you know its hold is deep

You’ve tried before, you've had to weep

So let us try to justify

To keep the habit, come let’s try

 

The finger stains, the burns on chair

The smell that lingers in your hair

The blackened teeth, the breath of rot

What benefit from smoke you've got

 

The money drain, the aching head

The bed that burns you till you’re dead

The taste so fine when first you wake

The trays that stink, the hands that shake

So much you get from smoke of blue

Plus coughs and wheezing, cancer too

 

With all of this to help you choose

Don't take the path that helps you loose

We'll help and boost, and get you by

We'll cheer you on, but you must try

 

So don't delay till it's too late

Don't push the odds, don’t tempt your fate

Today's the day, the time is here

Don't put it off again my dear

 

It's time to start, and see it through

So don't delay, it's up to you

Author's Note

Years ago, when I realized that I was smoking 3 packs a day, I stopped. That was before there was solid evidence of the connection to cancer. Now that we do know, and given that the price for a pack of cigarettes is greater than the cost of a carton (actually, several), at the time I quit, stopping makes a LOT of sense.

Reviews

[PunkPoe]

Excellent biographical cigarette piece, not only informative but, also stabs of humor. I enjoyed your poem and the vision you planted in my mind,..

[Panhead Rod]

Wow ! You wrote this one with true sincerity... A very powerful message about kicking the habit. My Dad flushed an entirely new carton of cigarettes down the toilet and quit back in the mid 70s, because they raised the price to .39 cents per pack. He lived many years afterwards. If he were still around these days he'd surely share this one.

[Aslynn]

Ouch, lol! I've wanted to quit smoking for several years now and always blame it on the fact that my husband smokes, and I can't possibly quit when he smokes beside me so many times. I certainly never expected to find a topic like this one covered here on a writer's platform (for some reason) but I'm glad that I did. I like that you add so much information interlaced with direction, including reasoning. Short but sweet, per the topic, and I'll take that as confirmation. Thanks!

[JayG]

As someone who was once a 3 pack a day smoker, I have two tricks that will make stopping easier:
read moreAs someone who was once a 3 pack a day smoker, I have two tricks that will make stopping easier:

1. Tell everyone you know that you are going to stop. And do it in such a pretentious way that if you are EVER seen with a cigarette in your hand again you will be laughed out of the room. Knowing that will strengthen your resolve.

2. Carry an opened package of cigarettes with you as a real, not an abstract, temptation to beat. That way, after a week or so, they'll be so stale you'd never smoke them, yet you'll be reluctant to throw away what you paid for,

It's what worked for me.

[Aslynn]

Lol, that's awesome :-) I've been planning to do that anyway. What better time than now?!

[Arundass TP]

Interesting poem. Enjoyed reading 🙂

[Celie Rose]

Enjoyed the rhythm and flow of this poem. It is written and expressed well. "It's time to start, and see it through
So don't delay, it's up to you." It is never too late to stop." As I walked through the reading with my eyes,I could understand and could imagine what the cost of smoking can cause and the glimmer of hope

[The Unknown Sith]

Imagine the people that vape now, still thinking it's not bad for you.

[Vol]

The most insidious of all addictions...

[1809 Black Plague Decem..]

Hellos, JayG.
I smoke, once in a while, very seldom
But can't stop.
It reliefs me, love the scent, the feeling,
when I forget to my way to Glendale, or Pasadena, I get someone to smoke me a little,
I kinda faint, and go home, it has been a long trip. I got a smoke, and now home,

[Scott Kris]

I’ve recently started smoking cigars. Many reasons to not do so and many reasons why it makes sense for me.
All “medicines” have a price.
We justify the ridiculous however. How do we allow logic to govern without destroying adventure and intrigue?
And like cats, we play with trouble…

Good write here.

Thank you for sharing.

Scott.

[Stuart Munro]

I was Born in a Pub which in 1854 used to be a Brothel , if your interested lol, where smoking was normal , my parents had to re decorate , the ceiling and walls were nicotine yellow , I started smoking at sixteen , gave it up at thirty
The Government made loads of money from peoples lungs , I can’t stand the stench now , but back then it was normal , Great Poem I enjoyed reading