Headache Cycle

A poem about change

Sunset.
I crush the cigarette box with my hand
Before letting it drop into the trash

Deep inhale.
The fresh air makes me cough
I head to bed to recharge

Daybreak.
My head’s on fire
But today, so is my heart

I’ve never really been a smoker, (just when other people hand me them at parties?) but I sympathize.

The cigarettes are a metaphor for bad habits in general. I think the path to a peaceful joyful life is really just the path of slowly and compassionately editing your habits away from their defaults and towards the service of something meaningful.

Sunset is like the end of a pattern, and daybreak is like the beginning of a new one. That plus the word “cycle” hints at the drama of the multiple attempts it takes to end a habit.

Thanks for reading and let me know in the comments if you like the style of this one and its explanation.

If you’re in the mood to read more of my poems: