The Best Cigarette

Billy Collins, former US Poet Laureate and one of America's best-selling poets, reads his poem "The Best Cigarette" with animation by David Vaio of FAD.

Noted for their intelligent humor, accessibility and observations on daily life, Collins' popular poems come alive further in a series of animated poems produced by JWT-NY.

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The Poem - There are many that I miss having sent my last one out a car window sparking along the road one night, years ago. The heralded one, of course: after sex, the two glowing tips now the lights of a single ship; at the end of a long dinner with more wine to come and a smoke ring coasting into the chandelier; or on a white beach, holding one with fingers still wet from a swim. How bittersweet these punctuations of flame and gesture; but the best were on those mornings when I would have a little something going in the typewriter, the sun bright in the windows, maybe some Berlioz on in the background. I would go into the kitchen for coffee and on the way back to the page, curled in its roller, I would light one up and feel its dry rush mix with the dark taste of coffee. Then I would be my own locomotive, trailing behind me as I returned to work little puffs of smoke, indicators of progress, signs of industry and thought, the signal that told the nineteenth century it was moving forward. That was the best cigarette, when I would steam into the study full of vaporous hope and stand there, the big headlamp of my face pointed down at all the words in parallel lines.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• poet
• laureat
• poetry
• Billy
• Collins
• animation
• JWT
• cigarette

[MicahIsser]

The only true weakness is habit, since when it forms, we struggle so to break it. As Beckett said, "Habit is the ballast that chains the dog to his vomit". Cigarettes are, for me, a symbol of this humanity and vulnerability. For when, in a drunken stupor, i feel the butt rest upon my lips, i know, with certainty, that my commitment, my better judgment, my reason and my will have been broken by desire.

[gaara2016]

dayum dats some good weed isnt it?

[Thylovely4you]

i think this is absolutely superb!!! hypnotic

[blackpridentc]

But OOOOOhhhhhhh NOoooooo They didnt wanna stop the Smoking ....

[BallSackGames]

this makes me drowsy

[VthatsME]

@MicahIsser Addiction is when ''will'' is overcome by ''want''. When you start smoking out of curiosity or whatever reason, you choose to smoke, until after some time you need the cigarette. Desire always breaks reason.

I've always thought it's a very odd phenomenon that people are scared of a virus that kills 35 people, but at the same time smoke themselves to death.

[paxro]

love Billy Collins

[shaks921]

Ah, how I miss the freedom to smoke whenever I want.

This poem gives me a little hope that someday, I'll be able to smoke without fear or judgmental eyes upon me.

[Renewlavisibli]

ISAWATIT!

[AfroditeAx]

Ci sono molte cose che ho perso gettando l'ultima fuori dal finestrino di una macchina scintillando lungo la strada una notte, anni fa.

Le annunciate, chiaramente: dopo il sesso, le due punte ardenti divenute le luci di una nave singola; alla fine di una lunga cena con molto vino per venire ed un anello di fumo che costeggia il candeliere; o su una spiaggia bianca, tenendola con le dita ancora bagnate dal nuoto.

[AfroditeAx]

Quasi agrodolce queste punteggiature di fiamma e gesto; ma le migliori erano in quelle mattine quando io avevo qualche piccola cosa da gettare nella macchina da scrivere, il sole brillante nelle finestre, forse qualcosa di Berlioz come sottofondo.

Io andavo nella cucina per il caffè e ritornando alla pagina, arrotolata nel rullo, o me ne accendevo una e sentivo la sua miscela di giunco asciutta mista al gusto scuro del caffè.