One of my heavier posts (please read through to the end). This is a true story.
Image by Elti Meshau
He said he would kill them,
In his time, in his way
And yet they let the intruder stay
Even before they loved each other
They loved him
Faithfully and steadfastly
And when they married
He moved in with them
Years fell away
They had children
Dreamed dreams
Lost their dreams
Then found them again
Aged a little
And then aged a little more
They shared everything with him
Everything
And yet he never ceased to whisper,
“One day I will kill you”
But by now it seemed a jest
A monkeyshine
And then he killed the man
The woman was gutted, emptied
The man had been everything to her
“Not you” she screamed
“It was never you I loved”
And yet she let the intruder stay
A generation passed
Before she found the courage
To make him leave
When she did, he said,
“Did you think it would matter?”
Eight more years passed
And then suddenly and without warning
He came to fulfill his promise
“Why did you wait until now?” she whispered
“Wait?” he said
“My dear
I began killing you
The day we met”
He stayed until the end
Not because he loved her
But because he wanted to watch
Cigarette smoking kills six million people a year. It is the most preventable cause of death in the world. It killed both of my grandfathers. It killed my mother and my father as well–she was 69, he was 45. It was they who inspired this story. I will miss them forever.
I will not miss their dark intruder.
Very clever!!!
It killed my Grandpa Neal, age 75, but he dealt with it for years before that. I remember taking lilacs to him in the hospital and it dawned on me that this delightful man wasn’t going to survive. lump in throat
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WOW !!! Powerful and sad, but an unfortunate truth to many who are into the drinking and smoking. So sorry for the loss of both your Parents.
Thank you, Willie.
True, Mitch. Today, the killer still roams, free to steal health, kill innocents, and destroy families.
{{tears}}
Sad and powerful post. Wasn’t what I was expecting when I first started reading it.
Oh, Mitch, this is an incredibly powerful, poignant, brave and sad piece of writing. It’s also brilliant in the way you have got your message across. Excellent writing, too. I’m so sorry you lost your grandfathers, and also your mother and father and at such young ages.
My father was a pipe smoker from the age of 14 until he died at 84. He died from lung and brain cancer (horrible to watch), both connected to his pipe-smoking. Fortunately, he had very little to do with the rest of the family, although he lived in the same house. Luckily, none of us were affected by the constant and continual supply of nicotine in the atmosphere.
I’m so sorry for your losses and thank you for sharing such an important message with all your readers. Ellie x
Thank you, and thank you for sharing about your own father, Ellie.
So sorry, Mitch!! That had to be so hard on you. You wove your feelings into such a poignant and powerful poem.
Thank you, Carolyn.
You are very welcome.
Very powerful, Mitch!
Thank you, Ab.
As a former smoker (40 years smoke-free), your story is a poignant reminder of my good fortune in chasing that dark intruder out of my life. In retrospect, I think God might have been nudging me along, wanting to save me for my encounter with His Son! Love, hugs, and prayers as you remember your mother and father.❤️🤗🙏
Bless you, Gail.
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I also lost my dad to this dark intruder.
I’m so sorry to hear that, Dana.
Thank you, Mitch.
Whew! The ending lines!!! Okay, this was definitely a clever way to present smoking/tobacco and its effects. 🙏🏾🥺💙
Thanks, trE!
“Their Dark Intruder” is an awesome eye opener. It would be a beneficial read for teens and young adults-the age they believe they’re indestructible. Thank you for sharing the wisdom from the sadness you’ve experienced.
My privilege, Nancy.
A very powerful way to get people to recognize the danger in smoking. I can imagine everyone has lost someone to the Dark Intruder.
I fear you’re right, John.
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Powerful! Get this out any where you can! My Dad died from it at 52. I quit in mid 40’s, smoked filtered, have lasted to 87.
So glad you quit early enough to benefit from doing so.
I’m sorry this is a true story, Mitch. 💔 I hope a lot of people read it and heed it.
Thank you, Annie.
I’m sorry this dark intruder took the lives of loved ones. This is powerful and impactful, dear friend. The dark intruder was part of my family for years. Dad put them down after 50 years. When he had his craniotomy and two cancers, Mom put them down. They’re still here. I watched many other family members, some who would be in their 90s, succumb to the dark intruder. It tried on me years ago, a peer factor and stress related thing–but had NO power. Icky! I’m sorry, Mitch, for the loss. I pray many read this! THANK YOU!! You’re always such an inspiration and teacher!
Thank you, as always, for your thoughtful words and insights, dear friend.
It’s my blessing, Mitch. Thank YOU for creating a place where we can share and learn together, dear friend.
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I’m sorry for that painful intrusion in your life. Our parents didn’t really understand the dangers, or took them too lightly when they first heard there was danger. Addiction is a terrible thing and so hard to let go of.
Powerful and poignant! So sorry you lost both your parents. My parents both succumbed the dark intruder as well, both way too soon. The only good is none of the four of us children smoked.
Great post! Thanks for sharing, Mitch.
My privilege, Peggy.
I was wondering what was going on and then I saw the end. It was a powerful depiction of the dangers of smoking. I am so sorry for your losses.
It pretty much killed my Dad, too.
So sorry to hear that, Venus.
A great message. Sorry it was about your Mom & Dad.
My Mom died from effects of smoking too. COPD. Lots of people yours and my parents’ age were tragically trapped into smoking.
I worked 37 years as a Respiratory Therapist hospital worker. The best part of my career was establishing & running a Pulmonary Rehab program for my hospital for 18years. People who came through our training learned they could improve their day-to-day functional skills and quality of life. But giving up smoking was part of the criteria for qualifying for acceptance into the program. I met and worked with a lot of brave people who came through that program. .
Add a promo for Pulmonary Rehabilitation programs the next time you post something like today’s blog!
Jim Fayle
Wow, you know whereof you speak, Jim.
Wow, Mitch, very clever, well written… and positively creepy. Sorry about your loss. The way you wrap them all together reminds me of that parable about the scorpion and the frog. Well done! 😎👏
It’s insidious how something can worm its way into our lives promising pleasure when we know it will destroy us. I’m so sorry for your losses. Thank you for sharing this. It’s a truly powerful piece.
My privilege, Staci.
So sorry to hear about how this intruder took the lives of your parents so soon. My dad let this intruder inside his life early on but was able to kick him out after he had a heart attack in his 40s. He got to live until he was 89.
I let this intruder into my life when I wasn’t even 12. My dad caught me but rather than berate me he pleaded with me not to let him stay. He said that was his mistake and he now had a hard time trying to stop smoking. I listened and did not touch a cigarette ever since. And fortunately so. When I had Covid 3 years ago, my lungs collapsed massively and I had to undergo a risky thoracic surgery – at a time when my kidneys had also failed and my sugar levels were off the charts. It was the Lord’s miracle that I survived but had I continued smoking I am almost sure my weakened lungs would have meant my end. (Leo)
So glad you’re still with us!
My parents were held hostage but broke free. By the grace of God escaped death at the hands of that particular evil!
A close family member is a smoker! I ask him a million times to stop, but he gets mad when I repeat the same question, « When are gonna stop smoking? »
Heavy, heavy.
Gary Avants Forbear Productions * *garyavants66@gmail.com garyavants66@gmail.com
Powerful!! Sorry about your loss, Mitch.
Thank you so much, T.
My pleasure.
Thank you for this Mitch. I stopped on November 1st of last year. My birth mom passed away from lung cancer and cancer runs in the family. I kept stopping and restarting for three years but it finally took. It’s an insidious addiction and difficult to explain to people who’ve never had to deal with it. Be patient with them and never give up. I had a supportive group of family and friends to rely on.
So glad you had the love and support you needed, my friend. Happy non-smoking!
This Sunday will be the 19th anniversary of the day I watched my sister take her final breath after a battle with lung cancer. She quit smoking the day she was diagnosed, but it was too late.
Earlier that day, my ex-wife called me to let me know she found out our son was smoking. She wanted me to call him that night to have a talk. After watching my sister die, all I could tell him was, “Your mother told me today that you’ve been smoking. I wish you were here tonight to see your aunt. If you saw what she went through, you’d throw that s^*t out and never touch it again.”
That hasn’t work completely, but he quits about twice per year. I’m praying for the day he quits for the last time.
Correction; 16th anniversary.
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It’s so addictive. Saying a prayer for him, Michael.