"SMOKE EM IF YOU GOT EM"
By Mason Rodrigue
Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em
Bum one if you don’t.
My mother says “take care of yourself”
but we both know I won’t.
I used to not need nicotine,
not really big on dip,
but I started smoking Ardens in Syria
after we relived 3/6 on the rip.
I could blame it on the boredom and monotony,
but that would be a lie.
You might think it’s because of
the stress and paranoia that I might die.
Truth be told it’s none of those things
because it wasn’t really that bad.
Deployment was some of the best times
any of us ever had.
I switched to Camels on my second workup,
my second deployment Marlboro Reds.
I liked smoking in the field with the boys
and there’s not much left to be said.
No, truth be told it’s because I’m a deviant
who likes things that are bad for me…
Like dark haired divorcees and driving too fast
and binge drinking until I can barely see.
I like the inhale burn in my throat,
the menthol cool on the exhale out.
I like to smoke alone now,
can’t stand when company shows up
with nothing worth talking about.
It’s not a chemical thing,
whenever I want I could easily quit,
but I get a strange peace
when I time the sunset
with the cigarette’s last hit.
So smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em,
Bum one if you don’t.
My mother says I should start living right,
but we both know I won’t.
Mason Rodrigue is a former USMC machine gunner and author of the poetry collection Rock Eater. Listen to our interview with Mason on the Savage Wonder podcast here.
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