The warm air

carries it lightly;

throwing it to the wind.

It disseminates.

Lungs desperately struggle

To absorb the essence;

Inhaling toxic substances.

Sometimes it rolls in

On the tongue of the ocean

Like a boat at sea

And mouths await

For to taste the

Salty prize

Sometimes it is stolen:

A greedy lip

on a familiar cigarette

aching for the fullness

of its smoky lies.

Sometimes it comes sprinting

Pounding the flesh,

Like a steamy rain

Piercing through

It will consume you.

We are all growing

from our childhood roots,

and blossoming into adult flowers

filling the air with our fragrances.

Hopefully we are all growing good,

but some of us grow bad.

some of us grow grey

polluting the air with toxins.

Some of us grow backwards

with unsteady roots

climbing back into the soil,

searching for the roots that

will never be replaced.