If careful
With the pilfered cigarette,
You can blow
Smoke rings
To make
The other children
Laugh and clap,
And for a further thrill
Exhale smoke
Through your little girl’s nose
In a measured flow.
The old man
Shakes his head,
He’s seen it all before,
This smoking heads
Of children;
The unholy mutter
Of children’s voices
And high laughter.
You hold the cigarette
Aloft above your head,
Then taking it carefully
To your lips,
You inhale deep
As if diving for pearls
In oyster shells,
Just to hear
The laughter
And applause
Of the other boys
And girls.
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