Voltaire neither put up nor shut up,
Let us read…let us dance... 

François-Marie Arouet, 
imprisoned twice in the Bastille;

his delight at the fall
 of the smoking Bastille

would have seen singing and dancing in the street,
had he been around for the smoke.


Fast forward to…

Gauloises Disque Bleu,

elegant,
cool,

show-off smoking.


Gauloises Disque Bleu.

Cough your way through them

prisoners of nicotine,

echo Voltaire in the Bastille,

Bruce Willis in Die Hard

neither put up nor shut up.

Hooked.
 
It is said that
Alain Bashung
enjoyed chemotherapy 

smoking Gauloises Disque Bleu.
 
© 2013 Polly Stretton
 
Famous French singer, Alain Bashung, was such a fan of Gauloises Disque Bleu, it is said he refused to quit even during his chemotherapy. This poem is written for Bastille Day—the day that gives the perfect excuse to eat much cheese or smoke yourself silly (if that’s your bag).