NICOTINE

There are seven sacraments:

The first is baptism,
conducted hidden behind the bike sheds.

The second is confession,
when your mum finds the packet
in your school blazer jacket.

The third is holy communion,
when you learn to breathe in the smoke.

The fourth is confirmation,
when you start smoking fags
with pints of lager down the pub.

The fifth, marriage, is addiction.

The sixth is holy orders,
attained by the newsagent.
He is ordained to marry off the packs of fags
to all the youngsters keen to follow the herd;

And the seventh, last rites, is there for the chosen third.

Tom McColl

This poem is taken from the collection The Beast in the Bag. For purchasing details, see the small ads page.