The Smoking Society Poem by Paula Glynn

In the old days sexy smoking all the rage
Some feeling perpetually pressured
And trapped in a difficult mental cage
The bars of the mind tricking into agreeing.

Actors looking cool with their lipstick-stained cigarettes
Puffing away in their young red lipstick painted mouths
Believing they are simply following the correct crowd
The crowd actually the enemy getting much more loud.

The rich and opulent looking elegant and suave
Their expensive rainbow clothes of silk and suede
Living in vast mansions ruling the world
Glamourising cigarettes for boys and girls.

Magazines advertising cigarettes in every issue
School girls pressured in the school toilets crying into a tissue
Which is why my mother became a smoker
And I became a social joker.

Not knowing and never saying never
Who knows what an adult will decide?
Giving in or pushing back in animalistical pride
But sometimes it is the crowd that does decide.

The charismatic world of film and television
Actors advertising cigarettes with their fake characters
From different walks of life and unforgettable moments
Showing the false allure and appeal of cigarettes.

Her son given beautiful straight white teeth
Until his teenage years smoking does precede
Thirty years later gaining black stained teeth
His once young white and healthy teeth gone.

Smokers ignorant of their biology and cigarette health hazard
Or simply not caring about themselves enough
Perhaps the supposed cool image gaining friends
The hard drinking and smoking image prevalent.

Whether right or wrong, whether I belong
It is best to be sure what I want for myself
Whether I care about myself and my health or not
Whether I would sign my lung cancer contract on the dot.