Thursday 28 July 2011

The Grass is Greener On The Other Side



He meticulously bought the cigarette paper up to his lips

with deft and artful tongue he licked the exposed edge.

Flicking at the lighter until the flame leapt

. . . he inhaled . . .

eyes tight closed

as he took that ritual long slow breath.

Pulling the sacred smoke down

deep into his lungs.

Silence fell as he held it there.

Moments passed - like shooting stars.

. . . until he exhaled clouds . . .

Sweetly scented blue grey smoke

curling and climbing the expectant air.

He smiled as peace descended.

He was home.



Written for The Thursday Think Tank prompt #59 - Grass
.
Image and Words - Susannah Bec

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Susannah,you and I are on the same wavelength... yours shows the beauty and anxiety-reducing properties of grass. The description of "blue-grey smoke" leaving his lips, the pace of it, all as perfect as I remember it!! Mine is loopy:
http://sharplittlepencil.wordpress.com/2011/07/28/grass/
Enjoy! Peace, Amy
PS I never saw a man beat his wife high on pot - but drunk, yes...

Brother Ollie said...

grass...sacred meditation, for some, indeed

I like the pace of the poem...it fires along.

Bubba said...

Almost makes me wish I smoked... almost. :)

signed...bkm said...

The whole feel made me think of the burning of sage grass and the lighting of a the sacred pipe...underneath the blessings of night sky...bkm

kaykuala said...

A vivid description of pot inhalation. Upon the completion of the gasp, the smoker would exhibit happy feelings. He would break into giggles and light laughter on the slightest provocation. I've seen it!

Mike Patrick said...

The peaceful side of smoke, beautifully presented. There is a place for it.

ps: I've seen a man beat his wife while high on pot—and a lot worse; all inhibitions are lowered. The word assassin is associated a group known as hashish eaters.

Maggie said...

It reminds me of a film noir. Terrific write.

Elizabeth said...

I tried it a couple of times, long, long ago. It didn't agree with me and all I got was sick. That doesn't however, make me unaware that most others would find agreement in your imagery. There are a few individuals that I prefer to communicate with only after they have partaken, lol. I wondered if anyone would go this route and glad that you did.

Elizabeth

Scarlet said...

This is nice write and flows smoothly.... am not into smoking though :0

Anonymous said...

No longer sacred here.

Kerry O'Connor said...

Clever interpretation of the theme!

And as a stand alone piece, it is filled with poetic mastery.

Ella said...

Well Done; I like the momentum the choice of lyrical words~ Beautiful!

Sherry Blue Sky said...

There is a meditative and peaceful feeling to this that has me agreeing with bkm, about how akin it is to the feeling of lighting the sagegrass and the pipe.

The Poet said...

Vivid take on the prompt.

Nicely done!

I'm here:
Moments In The Sun

Susannah said...

Thanks everyone for your comments, much appreciated. :-)

Susannah x

Unknown said...

A dear friend suffered terribly with stage 4 lung cancer. Smoking weed was sometimes her only relief. This beautiful piece perfectly illustrates what she described to me. Peace. Comfort, Temporary reprieve.

Susannah said...

Kim, yes it can be a blessing (and natural too, unlike chemical drugs) so sad that it is misused and has such a bad name.

Like all things it is to be respected and though it is labelled a recreational drug, it has far deeper properties and meanings.

Though no longer something I use, I respect it and owe it a debt of gratitude for the teacher it was.

It is sad that alcohol is deemed 'socially acceptable' when a peaceful herb like this is not. :-)

Jinksy said...

Any colour smoke is a no-no to my nose. I'm afraid! LOL

Susannah said...

Hi Jinksy, yes I am that way too! My home is a definite 'no smoking zone'. :-)

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