I EVEN LIKED THE TASTE OF THE TOOTHPASTE ON MY LIPS
a guy I barely knew at the mental hospital
snuck in a cigarette and a lighter
I couldn’t believe he was nice enough
to share it with me
he liked menthols and
the cigarette he had wasn’t one
so he said “If I put toothpaste on the tip
the mint will make it taste like a menthol.”
we blew the smoke into a drain
to hide it as best we could
I smoke regulars
but that was
the best cigarette
I’ve ever smoked in my life
©2022 Dan Flore III All rights reserved.
Dan Flore III’s poems have appeared in many publications. His fifth poetry book is Written in the dust on the ceiling fan, published by dead man’s press ink.