coffee cologne and cigarettes

my father drinks at least three cups of

coffee

one in the morning, afternoon and night

caffeine speeds through his veins, and he lies awake in bed, a man-made

insomniac

my boyfriend puts at least three sprays of cologne

when he goes out to parties with me

it's his protection from the world

the gas mask with which he hides his self

from the rest

my sister smokes, in one day, at least three cigarettes

once she's relieved herself of suffocating air

she stands outside, content

with the mutually assured destruction

of others' lungs and hers.