Social Satire: Poems




Emphysema Dad



~ By Peter


 Emphysema Dad
Each breath makes your chest shudder
My heart, a knife, a stab
As you try and take another


Emphysema Dad
When can we go and play
I'm only a young lad
Don't leave me Dad, please stay


Emphysema Dad
To me you are fantastic
But here on this clip pad
You're just one more statistic


Emphysema Dad
There's a guy in the next bed
Got gangrene, so he's had
An op - he's lost his leg


Emphysema Dad
Don't smoke, you said, it's dum
The waste, the pain, it's sad
And cancer claimed your Mum


Emphysema Dad
Being cool was one big lie
It's a suicidal fad
I love you Dad, goodbye










I lie in here, beside the whitewashed wall,
My hair is gone, my head is bald,
The room is sterile and it's very cold,
Wish you were here, Dad, I need someone to hold.
I can't breathe, I'm on a machine,
It goes whirr and click, it's such a din,
I've got lung cancer, it's all black inside,
When Mom says smoking causes cancer, Dad, I think she lied.


I never lit up, even when you did,
I just sat next to you, a small little kid,
You huffed and puffed through your life, Dad,
And Mom always looked so very sad.


My friends asked me to smoke, but I never did,
Because Mom told me from young: smoking is stupid,
It soots up your lungs and blackens your teeth,
So when I see a smoker, Dad, I anger and seethe.


You smoked two packs a day but you're still healthy and strong,
I hate smokers, Dad, but I never thought you wrong,
I love you, Dad, I always sat next to you,
And I know that you always loved me too.


The room here is cold, I see you through the glass,
And I think back to long ago, Dad, of times past,
Of the memories, I recall as much as I can,
There's always been a cigarette, Dad, stuck inside your hand.


I remember the fun things, Dad, all the times we had,
But as I look at you from here, you look so very sad,
You're not smoking, Dad, no cigarette I can see on you,
Maybe it's just the hospital, and this is the ICU.


My breathing becomes labored, I don't think I'll live,
Well, I tried my best, I gave all I had to give,
But one thing, Dad, I cannot comprehend,
I'm not a smoker, so why is my life about to end?


Author Unknown