The Smoker

The Smoker
(by R.P.Edwards)

Treated as an outcast
Vile and leprous souls
Plagues that walk among us
Banished to their holes!
Yet these, who reek of nicotine
That outward, damning sin
Their righteousness exceeds our own
For we are foul…within.

In my wanderings…I see them. The outcasts. They slink into their cars and puff, banished from the house. I pass by and pity them. I go from dwelling to dwelling, leaving a gentle invitation and, looking down, their marks are unmistakable…the ash tray by the door, the used and crumpled butts on the lawn. And…I pity them. But I do not pity them for their habit. No, I pity them for their servitude. For these…these poor addicted souls, they are blasted and bled, prodded and preached at, teased, taxed and tormented. And why? Because they engage in an activity that is “unhealthy.” And since “we” cannot tolerate a desecration of our sacred temple…they are excommunicated. Oh, the hypocrisy! The utter duplicity! Oh, the vile fallacious oozing that comes from those who do not blink at the slaughter of the innocent; who think nothing of shredding the covenants that were written by the finger of God, but for the sake of a showing, for the sake of a political placating ploy…they gladly add the crushing weight to the backs…of the already broken. So…having spewed all this…am I an advocate for smoking? Of course not! But if we really want to eliminate tobacco, then outlaw it altogether! Enough of this shallow grandstanding.

There was a time, not so very long ago, when cigarettes parted the lips of nearly half the population. Tobacco was a part of life…and, consequently, a part of an early death. Yet, in those years of ignorance…in those times when little was known of all the intricacies and nuances of nutrition. In those dark and distant days there was a purity…a glowing health…an enduring strength that came from the ingestion, along with the smoke, of those elements that are so foreign today…honor, truth, integrity, respect, responsibility…and reverence. And so, the question: is it possible to hold to one, and reach back to the other? I dearly hope so. For the real health of this nation…I dearly hope so.