I just shared a picture you may like, some of you for your own reasons, with Mikey Mel.

I had this moment, just a moment ago, where I was wondering what today's date was, and so I looked at the date/time thing in the lower right hand corner of my screen: Thursday, November 18, 2004. 11:18 AM . . . Hoo doggies . . . gotta like when that happens right?

Enjoy the Great American Smoke Out day. It's today, 11/18. I'll be sure to share that with all the smokers I encounter today, and then we'll laugh, maybe cough a little, gasp and chuckle.

And now, a poetry for you . . . we used this in my drama class about a month ago.

The Smoking Yokadokas
by Jack Prelutsky

We’re the Smoking Yokadokas,
we sincerely need to smoke,
and we do not mind the slightest
that our smoking makes you choke,
our malodorous miasma
will assail you when we’re near,
it will irritate your nostrils
and compel your eyes to tear.

We’re the Smoking Yokadokas,
we’re not nice to have around,
you can often hear us coughing,
it’s a coarse and raucous sound,
all our teeth are brown and yellow,
and our breath is always stale,
we’re especially offensive
at the moment we exhale.

Our appearance is unsightly,
we have ashes on our clothes,
our aroma is appalling,
you may have to hold your nose,
but don’t waste your time complaining
we contaminate the air,
we’re the Smoking Yokadokas,
and we simply do not care.


Text copyright © 1990 by Jack Prelutsky. Used by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
©2002, American Heart Association. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.