Blowing Smoke
Show Me Your Prose- Harper Lewis's unofficial challenge
Thick white plume gushes from flue pipes, a balcony view. Negative five degrees; I sit. I watch. I think. Blowing smoke sends clouds a confirmation. My cloudy vision readjusts; head nod to cumulus and all things I thought I knew. Furnace breathing system exhales, and I realize false information often misleads me.
My shifting feet. My nippy fingers. My chair, cold as ice. Hand to mouth, another puff of my cigarette; flue pipes timely hiss. I don't inhale; puff, let it go, puff, let it go.
Quit, I will; down to five a day. Drawing figure eights in the air, my cigarette mimics furnace vents. Swirling air-strewn carbon monoxide, not in my lungs. It's okay. I'm okay.
Northern blast erupts, my lips chatter, my fingers are numb. White plume, now grey-blue, signals a warning: insufficient fuel burning. Exhaust vent needs immediate attention. A potential puffback pressures puff, let it go to pause...
I put out my cigarette. Self-told lies have impaired my judgement. Smoke signals are pointless if one chooses not to take action.
~
Author's note: This is my entry in Harper Lewis's unofficial prose challenge.
My apologies for not being present lately. I am battling depression after a very trying time last year. Moving forward, I have decided to focus more on reading here and supporting Vocal creators while pursuing off-platform writing projects, including completing my poetry book.
Many thanks to Harper for creating this challenge, and thanks to all who take the time to read this ❣
About the Creator
Marilyn Glover
Poet, writer, & editor, writing to uplift humanity. A Spiritual person who practices Reiki and finds inspiration in nature.
Mother of four, grandmother of two, British American dual citizen living in the States
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Comments (6)
I really connected with how observation slowly turns into realization here. That moment of recognizing the warning signs felt deeply human, like catching yourself mid-rationalization.
Dear Marilyn - Though I've never entered a challenge. The challenge to Quit smoking is a challenge in itself; one less 'Toke' at a Time! Best to you, jk.in.l.a
Good job and good luck with writing of your poetry book and I hope you start feeling better. I have been working now as a paid book reviewer for the magazine that just hired me the last week of January. I also am trying to write my Study books at the same time. Sometimes I don't get to read and comment for a few days as well.
Best of luck with your book and also with this unofficial challenge. I haven’t been here long enough to quite know what these unofficial challenges are.
Love how you described this addition to smoking and the parallel use here. Excellent poem.
As someone in the process of quitting smoking, I felt this in my bones, mimed that figure eight as I read it. 💖