The Heart of Tobacco

This compares the natural defenses of the tobacco plant to the psychological defense mechanisms a person might build over years of abuse, defense mechanisms that might blossom into addictions.

I understand the wound you bloom in your flowers,

Poor little tobacco plant,

I understand. Trust me.

The veins across your leaves,

    Those floppy, elephant-ear leaves,

They map out the origins of your distress,

           Just like me.

It took so much effort for you

To crack your itsy-bitsy clam-shell seed

     and rear your tender head above the soil.

I know you loved those first rays of sunshine you absorbed,

You held them lovingly in the palms of your leaves,

Gentle sunlight tracing out the lines in those

        Innocent, green palms.

You were always so worried

Someone might nibble off your leaves

And leave you just a stalk.

And you let that feeling foster in your roots

Until toxins flooded your body of leaves

      That still quivered with fear.

I sympathize with my little tobacco plant

It sat glowering in the ground so long,

Happy to be appreciated in any way

So much so, it was happy to be hacked apart and smoked.

Happy that it’s tumors of insecurity can bloom in someone else.

I even know that your attractive smell

      when I burned your leaves in a fire-pit,

           was an apology.

The distant smell of tobacco

Reveals at last the benign essence,

       Always overlooked,

Of a sad and frightened plant

That wanted life and love.

At what cost for this should I judge

That little plant of mine?

Reviews

[Kenaz]

It almost feels like a soliloquy of a person and their addiction. Talking to the plant while tearing it from the roots and hacking it to pieces to be smoked. It's rather ironic to feel sorry for the plant and yet want to burn it to death for one's own pleasure and addiction. Good writing.

[Coyote Poetry]

I miss the days of cigarettes, red meat and large sodas. I don't like rules. I believe it is my decision to eat, drink and smoke what I desire. I like the story of the plant. Can't blame the plant for the craziness. We decide our journey. Thank you for the excellent poem.
Coyote

[J. Viands]

Very interesting your creativity never seizes to surprise me and yet again you do with your comparison of tobacco plant to a person well done

[Craba]

So Wow, I really loved this write. Deep and emotional

[James William Dyer]

thanx. I still think it needs some touching up, though, it feels sort of rough around the edges.

[KAOlmsted]

Holy cats dude...this is really quite something. Stunning piece. As a militant reformed ex-smoker and somebody who has more demons to battle than a goth chick in a graphic novel *laugh* I can appreciate every nuance here; every sympathy for the toxins...extremely well done and I look forward to reading more of your work.

-kimmer