One Cigarette
One Cigarette
"One Cigarette" is a poem written by Edwin Morgan, the poem is narrated by a lover who is reminiscent of his lover, he uses the cigarette as a symbol of their passionate love affair. The poem progresses with the narrator who is caught up in his memories with his lover and ending with the fact he his left alone only with a memory. Morgan uses of the cigarette as the symbol of love, which is something to be seen as unattractive but imbues it with attractive qualities because it is associated with his lover. It's far away from the clichés we normally associate with love poetry. The cigarette comes to symbolise him and his connection and emotion for his lover. The poem is appealing emotionally because it is so unashamedly romantic. The poem presents a simple truth that love is powerful, Morgan does this in a profound way by using the metaphor of the cigarette to symbolise his love continuously throughout the poem.
As the poem begins the poet thinks fondly of his lover and his memory. "No smoke without you my fire." The 'smoke' is a metaphor for their passionate love, this is a take on the old saying 'no smoke without fire' which means that their is an element of truth in the rumor. This conveys the idea that the poem is about a love affair. His lover is metaphorically, 'fire' which is reminiscent of the flame of love and desire. The line contains his own and opposite; the satisfaction of desire is happiness itself but the bright frame will die out eventually leaving only ashes. "Your cigarette glowed on in my ashtray" This conveys the idea that he longs for his lovers presence. This thought of his lingered when he was gone. The 'cigarette' is a representation of his lover and the 'ashtray' us what he left behind, metaphorically it could also mean his mind or heart. The use of the second person narrative effectively draws the reader into understanding the lover himself and the relationship. This allows us to see clearly the simple truth that indeed
"One Cigarette" is a poem written by Edwin Morgan, the poem is narrated by a lover who is reminiscent of his lover, he uses the cigarette as a symbol of their passionate love affair. The poem progresses with the narrator who is caught up in his memories with his lover and ending with the fact he his left alone only with a memory. Morgan uses of the cigarette as the symbol of love, which is something to be seen as unattractive but imbues it with attractive qualities because it is associated with his lover. It's far away from the clichés we normally associate with love poetry. The cigarette comes to symbolise him and his connection and emotion for his lover. The poem is appealing emotionally because it is so unashamedly romantic. The poem presents a simple truth that love is powerful, Morgan does this in a profound way by using the metaphor of the cigarette to symbolise his love continuously throughout the poem.
As the poem begins the poet thinks fondly of his lover and his memory. "No smoke without you my fire." The 'smoke' is a metaphor for their passionate love, this is a take on the old saying 'no smoke without fire' which means that their is an element of truth in the rumor. This conveys the idea that the poem is about a love affair. His lover is metaphorically, 'fire' which is reminiscent of the flame of love and desire. The line contains his own and opposite; the satisfaction of desire is happiness itself but the bright frame will die out eventually leaving only ashes. "Your cigarette glowed on in my ashtray" This conveys the idea that he longs for his lovers presence. This thought of his lingered when he was gone. The 'cigarette' is a representation of his lover and the 'ashtray' us what he left behind, metaphorically it could also mean his mind or heart. The use of the second person narrative effectively draws the reader into understanding the lover himself and the relationship. This allows us to see clearly the simple truth that indeed