hollowed-out eyes light up
life temporarily turned on again,
a glowing poker face
inhales the final fumes;
warmed bones breathe,
although the chest still rattles,
teeth grip hard,
determined to drag it out
as long as possible,
remembering how good it felt,
no shame,
no guilt,
ash drops into its anatomical ashtray, ignoring the no-smoking signs,
no damage done,
just muscle memories flexed.
Adele Robins is a self-taught poet without any formal training. She writes from the heart. She expresses how she interprets visual and emotional cues across a variety of forms, either via her Instagram page @your_words_worth or through submissions. She won the 2024 Otago regional National Poetry Day competition for her “The Bell Hill Brawl” judged by ex-NZ Poet Laureate David Eggleton
