Alive and Well
A puff wafts from the doorway of the old building
I scrunch up my nose at the scent, shake my head in disgust
or anger perhaps is a more accurate description of my feeling
I don’t smell it often in these days of indoor smoking bans
Mostly when walking downtown, past old buildings
on my way somewhere that will be smoke free
Today that scent reminds me of them, but it’s not the good memories
It’s the memory of what killed them, their obsession with Old Gold
bare-butt cigarettes, in the house, the car, the trailer out camping
I prefer the scent of eucalyptus and fresh garden dill
that remind me of better days when they were alive and well
at least as well as two chain-smokers could be
That foul scent also reminds me of embarrassment
at being accused of smoking myself by a 7th grade P.E. teacher
because the stench of their smoke was inescapable for me
I glance into the doorway at the young woman smoking
I want to scream at her, tell her how stupid she is
I want to ask her if she wants to die before her grandkids are born
But I don’t, I simply move on, away from the smell
and consciously shift my focus to memories of better days
when they were still alive and well
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The first prompt of the year at dVerse Poets Pub is to write about a scent or scents that evoke memories. This is the first thing that came to mind yesterday. I tried to come up with something else because I didn’t want my first post of the year to be such a downer. But alas, sometimes we simply must write down what’s already written in the mind.
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Anger, scent and condemnation. Thank you for combining them for this powerful personal creation.
As an ex-smoker, I am disgusted by the smell too.
Well, except for clove cigarettes, then I want to embrace the darkness again.
Well penned.
Oh, I haven’t thought about clove cigarettes in years! That scent would bring back a whole other set of memories of my first (terrible) college roommate.
I agree, the smell of smoke is truly unpleasant. Great response to the prompt! Wishing you a bright & joyous new year 😀
This poem resonates with me like no other. Many many young people in France smoke and I long to point out my ruined heart and arteries due to the years when I too was a smoker. Nearly 30 years on, I relish the absence of smoke stink in cars and public buildings, being able to see the screen in the cinema without the fog of smoke.
I really have increased my sensitivity to smoke… I still remember how my clothes used to smell after a night out… now I cannot even pass a smoker in the street without feeling disgust…
I also hate the shell of cigarettes, but am thankful that song is banged in public places here.
I must admit that I do wonder how people in this day and age can still smoke knowing what it can do to you. I too grew up around smokers although both parents did eventually give it up. But my grandfather smoked, uncles, aunts and even boyfriends. Now, I have no tolerance for the smell.
Some people have a more heightened sense of smell I am sure but also what we believe influences that sense. I like the smell of cigarettes. I was an occasional smoker for some years but have not bothered much in the past decade although every couple of years I might ‘bot’ one and still enjoy it.
Some people can smoke and not suffer healthwise. I know many people who have poor health who have never smoked and many who have always smoked in good health. One took up long-distance walking, across countries, in her Sixties!
It really is about moderation and what works for your body. I have lived enough decades to know that smoking per se: does not lead to poor health. The biggest issue is really the quality of the cigarette, i.e. the chemicals it contains. Tobacco is a herb. And if you look at countries and regions with the best longevity they are all countries with high smoking levels, Japan being a classic example.
So, I am not encouraging smoking, just saying, it is perspective at the end of the day and condemning others for smoking is projection. 🙂
Can’t stand the smell of this & I would rather stay away too~ More and more its an addiction and I am happy to see that there’s less ads for it and more people being health conscious ~ Happy New Year Linda ~
Even though your subject was serious you did a fabulous job with the prompt… Pulling out memories evoked by that smell. My sons both smoke though I never have and it breaks my heart. A very heartfelt poem.
I’m thankful my son does not, though I have nieces who do. I just don’t understand why anyone does these days. Thanks for a great prompt, by the way.
i remember riding home on college break with a chain smoker…sore throat and watery eyes, choking on the miles. But i admit i liked the smell of my grandpa’s pipe (although he later suffered stomach cancer).
Yea, a pipe is a completely different scent than a cigarette, although I’m not a fan of it either. The hardest part for me is knowing they both would have probably lived long enough to know my son if they hadn’t smoked.
Sad to think it could have been different…
SMiLes.. my friend..
smoke and second
hand smoke can be
the terror that keeps giving
too.. for me.. two decades working
in a Military Bowling Center with
literally hundreds of folks lit
up every day..
me a non-smoker
sucking it up
and sucking
it in..
the price
of that potentially
part of the reason
for chronic inflammation of
swelling mucousal linings
of sinuses impinging on
nerve endings
associated
with
the worse
pain known to
mankind.. actually
assessed as worse
than crucifixion from
wake to sleep
66 months..
as type
two
Trigeminal
Neuralgia..
Life’s not
fair..
but
i learned
THE MOST from pain..
the dArkest of
smoke from
cigarette
butts
ended up
likely now
being a ticket
to never ending
liGht.. yes it
is most
definitely
True.. God works
in mysterious ways
and the gift of JOB
can tRuly be a
greaTesT gift
of all when
one understands
that ALL IS GOD..
INCLUDING DARK..:)