Not One Smoker Has Ever Been Accused of Suicide

By Edward O’Dwyer

I’m convinced of it, but of course I know how it looks,
the oven, the gas, the history of clinical depression.
Incontrovertible evidence shows she’d left her husband,
taken their kids to London to live in a flat once lived in
by W.B. Yeats. But cigarette packets come with
the clear warning ‘Smoking Kills’, and yet
not one smoker has ever been accused of suicide.

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  • Meanwhile, on the Train (khulud khamis)Meanwhile, on the Train (khulud khamis)
    July 2014 Raya stands by the open window, slowly brushing her long hair. It’s Thursday evening, and she watches people rushing about; she sees soldiers — children, really — hurrying with their ... Read More
  • 26 Outings26 Outings
    1. Friday evening, as my husband and I are getting ready for bed, I tell him I think I’ve fallen for a girl. That night we have passionate ‘I can’t ... Read More
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The Vault
Fiction, poetry, essays, and criticism published in Verity La since 2010.
An archive of writing committed to freedom of expression and resistance to ideological conformity.
  • Canjeera (Deb Wain)Canjeera (Deb Wain)
    The house is early-morning quiet when Khadro wakes. Light leaks into the room; the moon glows through the poorly curtained window. Nightmares of her past have followed her across borders, ... Read More
  • The Laundromat (Diane Josefowicz)The Laundromat (Diane Josefowicz)
    (Edited by Laura McPhee-Browne) Once upon a time, I made a wish, an uncareful wish, in the Harder Laundromat. I wanted to throw a party for my students. Since September, ... Read More

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Verity La Journal is an independent international literary journal publishing fiction, poetry, visual arts, essays and cultural commentary.

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About Verity La Journal
Verity La Journal is an independent international literary journal publishing fiction, poetry, visual arts, essays and cultural commentary. Join our mailing list to get email updates.

Subscribe now