when my problem was a cigarette

i remember 10 years ago

when i was 35

i was standing on a porch in baton rouge louisiana

and my only problem was a cigarette

trying to get one

or trying to quit

i didnt have zero dollars in my bank account because i didnt have a bank account

i had no job

no money

no friends

all i did was write and live with my family and

occasionally go to mental hospitals

my only problem was a cigarette

that was my only problem

trying to get one

trying to quit

thats what consumed my mind

when i was not typing

then i quit cigarettes

and i quit going to mental hospitals

and i quit alcohol

and eventually i quit writing

and two days ago i quit porn

and theres nothing wrong with doing any of those things

but none of them are me

not even my problems are me

one minute they are a cigarette

the next they are a bank account

and

all of them will pass

with time