The Lucky Cigarette

Lucky Strikes was his cigarette Soothing his nerves from what he could expect He had been at war since ‘43 And his War story had been something to see It was his unit’s turn for the front line And he knew the next weeks would not be kind The sergeant called break and they went to ground And with his friends they gathered around He took his Lucky Strikes from his pocket And slowly opened the wrapper of the packet There had been other battles that he made it through Not wanting to jinx himself he knew what to do One of the cigarettes was taken out And he reversed it in the packet for luck it was about He would leave this cigarette to last one Wanting to be alive to smoke means he won. © Paul Warren Poetry