half-burned cigarette

why did you 

         always say

“a bird will use it 

         to make a nest”

when you stomped embers

         of half-burned cigarettes 

into the crevices 

         of concrete paths – 

as if any sensible 

         creature

would want to taste 

         your nicotine

               or smell the remnants 

                         or your whiskey-soaked breath?