Smoking

His hand habitually slides into his pocket
and withdraws a
cigarette.
Zippo brand clink-zip and the fire starts
Ignition.
Warmth like hot coffee on an empty stomach
fills his respiratory system.
Exhale. Peace.
Stress burns away with the tobacco. He knows about
the cancer, the disease, the death on each drag.
But he doesn’t care. The only focus right now is
getting the orange cherry-star to the horizon of the filter.
Sunset.
A tingly burn on his lips tells him, smoke break’s over.
The tan rocket departs from his lips, and lands
thrusters down
on the grayscale lunar surface of the ashtray.