A Smoker's Poem

(For the record, I found this poem on the net. I'm not the author of the poem itself.)

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Light up and Live

People say it is bad for your health
But in my life it provides great wealth
To enjoy the feeling as I inhale
The pleasure I feel is as big as a whale

Now the government has made it illegal
Almost like the bark of a beagle
I understand it could be bad for others
But this poem is for my smoking brothers

To think that we all will die sometime
And extend the mountain we must climb
But since nobody can defeat our death
It is my choice to choose my breath

Second hand smoke is no joke
For those of us who choose not to smoke
I do respect their imperative right
But there is something wrong with this fight

Everyone will die someday
It is just the price we pay
But smokers have been revoked the right
To choose their own perilous plight

The government thinks they have the answer
To what actually causes lung cancer
So answer me this as I say
Those non-smokers that die every day

Many non-smokers have died of the disease
That non-smoking facilities supposedly ease
In America we should embrace
Let restaurants and bars make the choice

So many bars have faced tough encounters
To take the ashtrays off of their counters
Let all Americans make their choice
But no one seems to hear our voice

An owner of a restaurant or bar
Should not have to go so far
To say that patrons cannot smoke
The thought of it all is truly a joke




Let non-smokers patronize non-smoking places
While those who smoke can show their faces
At a public place that makes the choice
To let us smokers empowered to rejoice

The fact that we have the ability to choose
To circumvent the owners that must face to lose
Their customer base that chooses to smoke
The rights of citizens that politicians revoke

Our new president is a smoker indeed
So how do we smokers follow that creed?
Make our voice to be heard
With every single smoker's word

Establishment owners have been hurt
The need is to have politicians convert
To a situation where there is a choice
Lets rally together and have a voice


Light up and live
It must be one’s choice
Unfortunately we have no voice