Only the Cruel Survive?
No.
You won’t smoke cigarettes,
blow it into someone’s face,
and say,
“Only the strongest survive.”
You won’t pretend it’s strength
to poison the air
we all have to share.
You won’t light fire
and call it freedom.
You won’t cough in corners
and say we’re weak
for breathing carefully.
You won’t make ash
a crown.
You won’t turn damage
into dominance.
This isn’t survival.
It’s slow destruction
you made into ritual.
The strongest don’t survive.
The cruelest do.
And I’m not here to be strong
by your terms.
I’m here to remind you
that lungs don’t lie.
That air doesn’t choose sides.
That death doesn’t care
who held the lighter.
So no—
you won’t smoke
and walk away noble.
You’ll leave a trail
only ghosts admire.