Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The Best Cigarette" by Billy Collins captures the nuanced relationship between smoking and the moments of life it punctuates, weaving together reflections on memory, creativity, and the rituals that define our experiences. Collins reminisces about cigarettes smoked in various significant moments—post-coital, during social gatherings, after a swim—but elevates the routine act of smoking while writing to a pinnacle experience, intertwining the act of creation with the ritual of smoking.

The poem opens with a sense of nostalgia for cigarettes smoked in the past, emphasizing not just the act itself but the contexts that made those moments memorable. The "heralded ones" after intimate moments, during convivial dinners, or in moments of solitude on a beach, highlight how smoking serves as a marker of time, a pause that punctuates life's experiences. Yet, these recollections serve as a prelude to the central theme of the poem: the intimate relationship between the writer's process and the ritual of smoking.

Collins zeroes in on a specific scene where smoking becomes an integral part of the creative process. The detailed setting—a morning with sunlight, Berlioz playing, coffee brewing—conjures an almost idyllic picture of the writer's life, where the act of lighting a cigarette becomes a moment of transition back into the world of work and creativity. The cigarette, in this context, is not just a tool for pleasure or relaxation but a companion to the solitary and often challenging act of writing. It becomes a symbol of the writer's engagement with his craft, an almost ceremonial act that signals a return to the "page, curled in its roller."

The imagery Collins uses to describe this ritual—becoming his "own locomotive," trailing "little puffs of smoke" as "indicators of progress, signs of industry and thought"—draws a powerful parallel between the solitary act of writing and the industrial revolution, where smoke and steam were symbols of progress and productivity. This metaphor elevates the mundane act of smoking to a symbolic act of creation, linking the writer with the broader narrative of human endeavor and progress.

Collins concludes the poem by crystallizing this moment of returning to work as "the best cigarette," where the smoker-writer, filled with "vaporous hope," faces the "words in parallel lines" with renewed purpose. The "big headlamp of my face" pointed at the manuscript evokes an image of focused concentration, of diving into the creative process illuminated by the ritualistic act of smoking.

"The Best Cigarette" thus transcends a simple ode to smoking; it is a reflection on how rituals, even those now widely condemned for their health impacts, are interwoven with the fabric of our lives and creative processes. Collins captures the bitter-sweetness of these moments, imbuing them with a sense of profound significance that goes beyond the physical act to touch on the rituals that accompany the milestones and daily routines of life. Through this poem, Collins invites readers to reflect on their rituals and how they mark the rhythm of our existence and fuel our creative fires.

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