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

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

A very thoughtful heartfelt poignant message, Jay. I grew up and remember back in the late 60's and 70's many of my relatives who had the habit of smoking several packs a day. They would come to realize later in life the toll it took on their bodies. Addiction has a price to pay eventually. Thank you for sharing your work with us.

[Lisasview]

Really enjoyed this poem Jay... and congrats on quitting.. Luckily for me I never smoked.. but my dear mother did..
I can remember her asking me to go the the local drugstore and buy her a pack of Chesterfields.
She wasn't a heavy smoker..and quite smoking when I was 12 years old..
One day when I came home from school I noticed she was putting on a new pink blouse and I saw the tag..$35.00!! I exclaimed "Mother..a new blouse that cost so much!" her response was.. "Oh darling, I gave up smoking a year ago and because of that I saved $35.00" Her rational thinking has stayed with to this day..
Lisa, in cold and very rainy Spain