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Marlboro red- Prose poem
My grandpa´s Marlboro red cigarettes
My grandfather, Arturo Benavides, has always smoked since he was about 30 years old. Nowadays he is 76 years old and keeps on smoking, ignoring the terrible consequences the tobacco may cause in general health. Nonetheless, I perfectly understand the relaxing effect this substance causes in him. It seems, in addition, that my grandpa enjoys each and every Marlboro cigarette (especially the penetration of the smell) and enters a whole different world when he is smoking. A thing my grandfather Arturo doesn´t know is that my other grandfather died of a lung problem, for which it is very important for him to consider that smoking will bring no good at all. I find this story kind of sad, I must say. People should do what they want, I completely agree; but sometimes what we want to do isn´t beneficial at all. I always stare at my grandfather´s Marlboro cigarettes, which are normally placed on the table in the entrance of his house or in his trucks, and this possession definitely reminds me of him. It is quite “unhealthy” to remember my grandpa when I see these toxic and addictive substances, but unquestionably I´ve grown up with this idea of seeing the cigarettes every time I visit his house. Actually, even when I am with my friends at a party or social event, the presence of Marlboro cigarettes instantly makes me recall my grandpa´s face and odor of his clothes. It seems, ironically, that my friends relax while smoking! My grandpa Arturo once stopped smoking for a short period of time (about a month or so), since one day he spit black saliva. This experience was dramatic and really, really scary for my whole family. When he quit smoking, everybody thought he wouldn´t go back to the bad habit of smoking, but he immediately did (obviously, buying Marlboro Red, as always)! The tradition of seeing the cigarettes every single Sunday afternoon returned and everybody knew that my grandpa would continue smoking. After that incident, nothing scary has happened (thank God) and everybody in our family is presently happy even with certain addictions. At the end of the day, my cousins and I still have a connection to make between the cigarettes and a person we love so much. To conclude, everybody should learn to give intelligent advice to people in order to have a better life, but once the advice is given, it should also learned to respect each person´s decision and be completely open-minded since it is never known what the other person may be feeling deep inside their heart.
