[Split]

quitting smoking.

chemical dependency, pencil shades of empathy,
like I'm sorry but it never made sense to me.
ma used to, and a couple friends smoke occasionally,
the double-edged dependance that entertains them faithfully.
countless stories, same beginning and end, one night that awakened me.
Five am. Drunk. parties over the neighbors said. Hardly sober.
Sunk into complacency. a single cig, she said just take it please...
Breathing in. Harsh at first, you'll get used to the coughing bursts.
Far concerns.. The end, the darkness that guards my urn.
Ashes lead to ashes, til then I'm gathering dust while the spark flickers.
Inhalation killing me, and God snickers. The tar demon begs to differ.
The blackness that plagues peripherals, growing heavier every winter,
The sepia fading on the picture, only ceasing time will end the fixture.
Sublime, the smokers breath, the joke is that it's the taste of death,
And every summer rolls around I think of my first cigarette.
But really, all our lungs grow black with age. Living begins to fade,
And time hangs around but won't stay for beers of late...
You think that's sick? We all measure living from first taste.
in packs, years left. You can't just quit. Just addicts have no regrets.