Cigarette: The Messenger of Death.

Cigarette: The Messenger of Death.

Introduction:

It comes in a small cylinder

of white rolled cover,

a-four-inch-processed-tobacco-

leaves,

which becomes very active

from slow and low combustion

sustained by heat.

Call it cigarette-

maybe cigar-spit tobacco,

perhaps, hookahs, menthol,

bidis, clove or kreteks,

probably, shisha or hubby bubby,

dry or moist snuff, chew tobacco, and

suck;

there are siblings of

same parents, tobacco leaves,

they look alike,

they do almost same job

in the body,

more so, cause nearly

same effect on their users.

A killer agent-

world acclaimed

messenger of death;

a-seven-thousand-

chemical-created-substance-

when burned,

a tenth-a carcinogen agent-

cancer-caused-sickness,

third leading killer machine

around the globe.

Origin of Cigarette:

Tell me where thou came from,

tell mankind, who created you,

tell the world-why so popular;

with Pandora box of evil-

still, a hungry-after and

a darling among the

sons of mankind-

you have become.

Mayas! Aztec!! Uaxactun!!!

How did it begin?

Indians-why did your

prized briar-from

Tree of Health-

now turned-

a curse or malediction?

Africans-after centuries-

why have your suck,

dry, and moist snuffs-

remained symbolic swords

that lick blood unceasingly?

Chinese, why did pipe,

which at a time gave

joy and happiness to man

now turns man’s airways to

both furnace and chimney?

Christopher Columbus-

why did you accept:

“Certain Dried Leaves”

from San Salvador natives

on your arrival at Bahamas?

Roderigo de Jerez-

why becoming the-

first European cigarette

smoker?

With your-seven-year-jail-

term,

it served no deterrent-

rather, your habit spread like

gangrene-

a habit-now-turned-a-global-

culture.

Oh! Sixteen-century sailors-

on New-World-Europe bound

routes,

why every time-

“The Mighty Leaf”

cargoes of death

always found on board

en-route Europe?

France, Portugal, Spain, and

Britain,

why on tobacco bandwagon?

Oh! Europe and her people,

Why did you accept?

Why did you adopt?

Why did you promote, and

spread the culture of

cigarette smoking ?

Today, humankind is

haunted by the five-century-

gift to Christopher Columbus

on Samana Cay, Bahamas;

rather than be an alba of

croon song  produced

by serenade,

the gift turned albatross,

encumbrance to man’s

immediate and future

happiness.

Roderigo-why did you become

a ready human laboratory

to test-run smoke through

your respiratory track?

The Stack Reality of Tobacco:

Yes, it looks very attractive-

do not be deceived-

it is ugly within,

it looks like

statue symbol object,

never-it adds no value to life;

regardless of proximity-

somehow, it may look very

harmless-

Caveat emptor-

it is a body of poison,

In a stick of cigarette

is nicotine,

a psychoactive stimulant-

prolonged usage turns user

to substance dependent

individual.

In a shaft of cigarette  

are nitrosamines and

hydrocarbons-

destructive agents of

deoxyribonucleic acid DNA;

in a rod of cigarette-

is hydrogen cyanide-

a damaging agent of:

heart and blood vessels.

In a stalk of cigarette is-

carbon monoxide-

the damaging tool of

red cells;

in a stick of cigarette is

ammonia-

it helps make nicotine

more addictive,

that man in perpetuity  be

hooked.

In a stick of cigarette is-

tar-brown residual that

stains teeth,

in a stick of cigarette is-

cadmium- a damaging tool

of kidney;

in the stem of cigarette is-

formaldehyde-known to

causing nasopharyngeal-

the back nose leukemia.

Cigarette-a home to

Polonium-210-

Radio-active element,

which destroys the skin.

Chromium and butadiene

reside in you-

cigarette,

both are lung cancer agents;

Arsenic and Benzene are

tenants in your courtyard-

giving mankind cancer,

destroying heart, and

darkening blood vessels.

Acrolein and nitrogen oxide

have residency in you-

cigarette-

causing irritation through

pollution.

No thanks to

more than twenty million

deaths-

in the past five decades,

from trillions sticks of 

cigarettes consumed

during this period;

an accomplishment by  

nearly a billion individuals

on the planet.

No job, no profession

no trade, no group,

no society, no club,

not even a good cause

has a large following like-

cigarette.

A commander that

commands with the

spark of fire,

a stealer mankind

graciously invites home to

rob,

then compensated.

More Smoke to inhale,

More money to burn:

As conveyor belts-

roll out trillions cigarette sticks

yearly,

it means more flame to burn,

more smoke to inhale, and

more bank notes to incinerate.

As modern Bonsack-

roll out more messengers of

death,

it means more money-

to spend on cigarette-caused-

illnesses,

more loss in productive hours,

more deaths to harvest, and

more cigarette-caused-child-

deformities.

More troubles for society-

more fire incidents,

more pollution,

more sickness,

more addiction-and

health trouble for

tomorrow.

Merchants of death,

when shall we hear-

it is enough-

messenger of death,

when will the spark of

fire be over?