No Smoking

white on red
forbidding,
light up anyway
inhale
blow the smoke high
a woman coughs
a man complains
“bite me”
inhale
conductor,
lean back,
ignore him,
inhale
“You’ll have to put that out, sir”
(sir? customer service, good man)
“When I’m finished”
inhale
                                           an hour ago
                                              ‘Cancer
                                              both lungs
                                             inoperable
                                             3 – 6 months’
                                               
                                          malignant foetus
                                              growing
                                         in a pseudo womb
                                      ‘can’t kill me twice’
breathe out
smile
inhale
blow the smoke high
stub it out
a woman coughs
anyway