Cowboy Killer

You were the intensely slow-burning cigarette

Of my summer.

You evaporated so slowly

As to not be see by

The naked eye

Creating an oblivion

In my nicotine infected mind.

Every drag of you filled my heart

With such a euphoria that you,

And you alone,

Created an addiction

Only comparable to

A family of monkeys

On my scar-ridden back

Biting and scratching

Until finally,

You reached the naivety of

My heavily-guarded heart.

This paradise was followed swiftly

By you unexpectedly

And yet completely expectedly

Burning my emotional fingers.

I should have flicked you away,

Like the litter of society that

You are to me now,

Yet I kept you in my hand,

While I searched for that last fix.

Oh, the spell you put on me.

And now,

1 year later,

My eternal addiction longs for another cancer giver

To choke my lungs

With the joyful high that is love.

But for now I am left pining

And furthermore wining my way to poverty

And my habit remains

Uncured and unsatisfied.

One day I’ll get my hands on new smoke,

Only this time,

My scars will remind me of the previous error in judgment.

Until then,

All I can do is wait.

Impossibly impatiently,

While I treat the most painful burn

I have ever been forced to endure.

But as long as there is air in my lungs,

I will hold onto that cigarette.

No matter how horrible

The searing pain

Of my bubbling flesh may be,

I can never lose hope,

No matter how hard I try,

That someday

I will find my never-ending nicotine.

Author's Note

this is an old one. one of my first. i dont really know how i feel about it so im curious to know what you think.

Reviews

[Cassiopia Summers]

I think it's a great poem about the addiction of nicotine. It definitely lets you into the mind of one who is indeed addicted to it. Great write, and wonderful insight.

[Marie Harrison]

I love it. A very powerful write to me. I like the imagery, the power of the voice and the desperation call in the poem. Well done!

[.]

unusal use of metaphor but thats a good thing..addiction..love ..it works well..you could try some patches though :)

[RonnieBreight]

I love the comparison you make with a cigarette. It's so interesting, because the person makes you feel so good, but you know their not good for you, and that it's going to end badly, which I completely understand. I likd the flow of the words and the order. A lot of poems are just scattered thoughts that sound pretty, but I liked this because it made sense.
I like the scarred back part, because it shows that he's been through so much. Also, for some unknown reason, the phrase "litter of society" makes me feel. I love it. I think this is an amazing poem. I want it tattoed somewhere on my body. Hahahahah, but really.

[nono]

Haha! I like this write it's different and so not what I thought. I'm impressed your talented and I think you'll do fine in the writing world! You'll go far that's for sure! Nice job!