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

[Martiya Daman]

Such a strong and heartfelt poem! The way you highlight both the struggles, and the consequences is so impactful. It’s inspiring and motivating, an excellent reminder to take control and make positive changes. Great work JayG!

[Baz]

This was great. It has inspired me to write this short reply in tribute, I hope you don't mind...


It started with a single puff
But soon that wasn't near enough

What once was fun behind the shed
Has took control of heart and head

"I'll stop this any time" you say
But soon you're on a pack a day

As one by one your friends have quit
You're left alone still sucking s**t

You stop and start, you rise and fall
You can't ignore tobacco's call

It stinks your clothes, your breath, your hair
And leaves your payday packet bare

So kick the habit, quite the curse
Your healthy will thank you, and your purse

[Mirror]

Always professional! JayG! After six years of absence on Writerscafe, I returned and found you still do the same boy with a cap profile picture! This says a lot!

Stable. Consistent! And definitely a great writer!

[Marie]

You put forward wonderful advice for giving up smoking in this finely pened poem, JayG.
All the reasons are listed, along with the results of smoking, the habit and the addiction.
It can be done, not easily, but a day at a time, and sometimes one goes from hour to hour, but in the end, the smoker will be the winner, once they cut their friendship with cigarettes.
They will be so happy to see their health improve and feel very much better than they used to do while smoking. Vaping has taken over now, it is more lethal than the cigarettes we are told.
I love the flow of this poem, it's perfect rhythm and rhyme and the visual detail within each line of the poem; a reason not to smoke finely detailed.
Thank you for sharing, dear poet.
I enjoyed reading very much...

[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.