“Sponsored by Ash”
by Anonymous
Maybe the smokers
work for the hospitals.
Maybe their fingers
are the marketing department
of the pharmaceutical empire.
Maybe their smoke
is the soft whisper of syringes.
A side gig for lung specialists
who need your wheeze
to keep the lights on.
They light up outside the clinic,
white coats watching from windows,
saying nothing—
because business is better
when breath comes hard.
Maybe they blow it in your face
not out of defiance,
but loyalty.
To the waiting rooms.
To the inhalers.
To the grave.
Maybe cigarettes are
the gentle soldiers
of the health industry.
Maybe ash
is the first form
of consent.
#SecondhandSmoke #TobaccoKills #SilentConsent