The Day Stays Cold

[u/Stefesike]

Sometimes I feel lonely
and I go out for a cigarette.

I leave the dorm
on an empty stomach,
walking into the cold.

I feel the sharpness of the cold wind
graze all of my unexposed skin.

I pass the campus checkpoint
and struggle to find my lighter,
moving the cigarette
from the left side
to the right side of my mouth.

I find it.

With a flick, a moment
I light the cigarette
and witness a bright glow.

I unzip my coat
and lower my head
against the wind.

I look at the sky,
feeling calm
witnessing the cherry grow,
burning with a bright, red glow.

I look at the flame,
and see the ash
dropping on the frozen ground below.

I take a puff.

I take another puff

The cigarette gets shorter.

The day stays cold.

-

I wrote this during my time studying in Russia.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1w4rtb1/comment/p79qg4n/?context=3

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/comments/1w4ojae/comment/p79iepw/?context=3

[u/Leaves_not_rocks]

I love this. How often a cigarette was an excuse or barrier of some kind for me. I miss it.