Much of my reason to stop smoking can be attributed to my kids, so you can appreciate just how hard hitting this poem is...
I lie in here, beside the whitewashed wall,
My hair is gone, my head is bald,
The room is sterile and it's very cold,
Wish you were here, Dad, I need someone to hold.
I can't breathe, I'm on a machine,
It goes whirr and click, it's such a din,
I've got lung cancer, it's all black inside,
When Mom says smoking causes cancer, Dad, I think she lied.
I never lit up, even when you did,
I just sat next to you, a small little kid,
You huffed and puffed through your life, Dad,
And Mom always looked so very sad.
My friends asked me to smoke, but I never did,
Because Mom told me from young: smoking is stupid,
It soots up your lungs and blackens your teeth,
So when I see a smoker, Dad, I anger and seethe.
You smoked two packs a day but you're still healthy and strong,
I hate smokers, Dad, but I never thought you wrong,
I love you, Dad, I always sat next to you,
And I know that you always loved me too.
The room here is cold, I see you through the glass,
And I think back to long ago, Dad, of times past,
Of the memories, I recall as much as I can,
There's always been a cigarette, Dad, stuck inside your hand.
I remember the fun things, Dad, all the times we had,
But as I look at you from here, you look so very sad,
You're not smoking, Dad, no cigarette I can see on you,
Maybe it's just the hospital, and this is the ICU.
My breathing becomes labored, I don't think I'll live,
Well, I tried my best, I gave all I had to give,
But one thing, Dad, I cannot comprehend,
I'm not a smoker, so why is my life about to end?
Smoking is such a selfish habit. I can't believe, as a mother, I let my children inhale those nasty fumes too. I wish I could say I was one of the good ones and never smoked around my kids, but I did
I smoked in the kitchen thinking it was ok as I was blowing the smoke into the extractor fan...I smoked in the car sometimes too thinking because the window was open it wasn't too bad...how selfish was I???
No more though. My kids are glad I have stopped and I'm glad for THEM. They are the only things that keep me going sometimes so I'm doing my best to make it up to them. No more selfish mummy!!
Btw, I would cite the author's name of the poem but it was submitted anonymously.