OctPoWriMo 2017: Day 9: Smokin'

Copyright Public Domain Pictures

Smokin'

I hate cigarettes

They contain chemicals

That cause people

To become addicted

And unable

To stop smoking

Even when it's killing them

However

I cannot abide people

Who think themselves superior

To people who can't quit smoking

Or who are addicted

To drugs or drink

Some people

Become addicted

To criticizing others

While sanctimony

May not kill the body

It is deadly to the soul

~Cie~

Hello Angel

 

Hello Angel

It is such an unhappy thing

That the world will never again know

Your beautiful smile

 

 

It is an unfathomable tragedy

That you no longer recognize

The best friend that you knew from the time of his birth

Your brother

 

 

I have to believe

That when your suffering is at an end

The light will shine in your eyes again

That you will be able to remember

And to smile

 

On the day that the Heavens finally say to you

Hello Angel

 

Love,

Cie

 

Prompt Used:

Write About

 

Notes:

Re: the top picture

The prompt provides a perfect picture, which may seem incongruous for me to use, given the heavy nature of the poem itself.

My poem's subject seems the sort of person who would have enjoyed the whimsy provided by alphabet soup.

He grew up poor. Foods like alphabet soup tend to be cheap, and kids enjoy them.

He once said that he and his siblings really never considered themselves poor. They just thought that everyone lived like they did.

He ended up becoming extremely wealthy, but I'm quite sure that he would trade it all just to know what was happening once again.

I don't care if people get tired of seeing the following graphic or hearing about this person. I'm going to keep sharing and talking about it, because it is so very necessary to understand how much we need to research the diseases that cause dementia so that we can stop them--reverse them--eradicate them. So that no more bright, good people will have their lives destroyed in this way.

 

 

My friend Dolly believes that the suffering he is enduring has the capacity to teach people who are willing to open their minds and hearts. His compassionate nature was always a lesson for others. Simply by being who he was, he was a teacher. So I can see this being true, although I'm still deeply saddened and angered that one who always tried to be kind ended up suffering so greatly.

Dolly wrote a poem about why she considers Malcolm Young to be a Bodhisattva. It is worth reading.

 

If anyone has some sort of asshat comment about his unfortunate addiction to tobacco, keep that shit to yourself. He successfully rehabilitated from alcohol addiction in 1988 and never again touched a drop of the hard stuff. That's damn commendable.

Cigarettes are a notoriously hard habit to break free from. People who have quit using heroin have said that quitting smoking cigarettes is even harder. Often it is impossible.

Commercial cigarettes have chemicals above and beyond nicotine added to the tobacco. They are made to hook smokers and keep them hooked.

I smoked for 20 years, so I'm not about to get on my high horse. Truth is, I'd still love a smoke. I quit in 2006. I still think about it often and wish I could fire one up. It's hard not to go back. However, I wasn't as addicted as some people become.

Everyone's body is different. Everyone's brain chemistry is different. No one has the right to harshly judge another's weaknesses.

A Heart Thawing in Sub-Zero Temperatures

Image Source

A Heart Thawing in Sub-Zero Temperatures

by

Rose LeMort 

and

Sadie Tagabayan

Note:

This poem (song lyrics, really) is part of a bigger post which was inspired by the picture. If you'd like to see the original post, click here. The post is from the point of view of the Fetch Gerry Clifford, who was a musician during his lifetime. The song is written from Gerry's point of view as well.

A Fetch is the apparition of a person whose body is still alive but badly compromised, so for all intents and purposes, they function as a spirit. 

All I Have to Give

I can see points of beauty

Even in this frozen hell

Can we bring each other happiness?

Can your love make me well?

~

My heart is broken

My mind is a mess

Can you heal my spirit

And calm the fear in my chest

~

I can see that you’re hurting

And have been for so long

Am I asking too much

To beg you to stay strong

~

You’re more than you know

You’re more than I dreamed

In the whole of my life

Was anything what it seemed?

~

Everything has gone wrong

Day was swallowed by night

My life torn away

My voice silenced by fright

~

Can you give me your love

Can you return my song

Am I asking too much

To beg you to stay strong

~

You’re more than you know

You’re more than I dreamed

In the whole of my life

Was anything what it seemed?

~

My soul has been robbed

My heart lost in fear

Until I found you

I was drowning in tears

~

Please won’t you keep me

Hold me here in your heart

I could be yours forever

We could make a new start

~

In this frozen waste

You keep me warm

You saw my struggles

You brought me in from the storm

~

I’m sorry if my struggles

Are making you weep

If my pain breaks your sweet heart

Let me bring you peace

~

In gratitude for your love

Let me give you mine

I offer you my devotion

Love is no crime

~

All the naysayers tell us

That what we feel is wrong

I’ve nothing left to give

So I give you this song

~

Is this Ragnarok

Is this the end of time?

Don’t know about the rest of the world

But I guess it’s the end of mine

~

Still I persist

It’s what I always do

The only thing that matters now

Is the love I feel for you

~

In this frozen waste

I feel the warmth of your heart

You save me from myself

You wouldn’t let me be torn apart

~

I come to you

At the end of everything

I have nothing left to give

Except the song that I sing

~

This place is a wasteland

My life has gone crazy

I’ve nothing of value to give

Except my love for you, Baby

~

Will your loving heart save me

Will you give me your love

In this frozen hell

You’re an angel from above

~

Got nothing left to give

Except for my love

In this frozen hell

Let me be your angel from above

~Gerry Clifford~
as transcribed by

~Rose and Sadie~

The Same Mistake Twice

The Same Mistake Twice

Twenty-five years passed

Since the time I saw you last

You sent me a letter

Saying you were in town

Wondering if you'd see me 'round

Hoping we could meet

I convinced myself that you'd changed

That you had gotten better

But like every other sweet word

It was all a lie

You said you'd ditched the booze and the coke

You said you no longer even smoked

You said you'd learned your lesson

About playing around with hearts

I thought you'd come clean 

But I discovered the truth

You weren't any better now

Than you'd been in my youth

You said you weren't tied down

You made me look like a clown

You took off your ring

In hopes of a fling

Turned out you'd married a stripper 

Your fourth wife, I hear

Glad I found out

Before I let you get near

Near my body, that is

But you still invaded my heart

Even when you'd gone from my sight

Thoughts of you tore me apart

I know that you're all wrong for me

You're all wrong for everybody

The women you meet are nothing but toys

Who fall for the sweet little wounded boy

Your wife is your mistress

You like to engage in group scenes

With her, pornography, booze, and cocaine

And anyone else foolish enough

To walk into your snare

I've learned my lesson

I'm never going back there

But the heart is an illogical thing

And sometimes it still conjures up

Dreams of you and me

And what I once thought could be

~Tempest Nightingale LeTrope~

The prompt asked us to use another poem for inspiration and continue on the theme.

I tend to do everything in a really roundabout and convoluted way, because:

My inspiration points were the tribute poem to Ronnie James Dio written by Spectra Ghostseeker, Ronnie's song Rainbow Eyes, Sheryl Crow's song My Favorite Mistake, and the fact that there's no expiration date on stupidity. Even at my age, a person can still put on blinders and convince themselves that something bad can be good.

 I woke up and called this mornin'
The tone of your voice was a warnin'
That you don't care for me anymore

I made up the bed we sleep in
I looked at the clock when you creep in
It's six a.m. and I'm alone

Did you know when you go
It's the perfect ending
To the bad day I was just beginning
When you go all I know is
You're my favorite mistake

Well, your friends are sorry for me
They watch you pretend to adore me
But I'm no fool to this game

Now here comes your secret lover
She'd be unlike any other
Until your guilt goes up in flames

Did you know when you go
It's the perfect ending
To the bad day I've got used to spendin'
When you go all I know is
You're my favorite mistake
You're my favorite mistake

Well maybe nothin' lasts forever
Even when you stay together
I don't need for ever after
It's your laughter won't let me go
So I'm holdin' on this way

Did you know, could you tell
You were the only one
That I ever loved
Now everything's so wrong

Did you see me walkin' by
Did it ever make you cry
You're my favorite mistake
You're my favorite mistake
You're my favorite mistake