I haven’t smoked for years and sometimes miss
sprinkling aromatic Drum tobacco
on transparent paper,
rolling them between my fingers,
the lick, the kiss
of flame, the inhalation
as it ignites the tip –
but not the frustration
of peeling paper from my lip.
Kim M. Russell, 15th June 2020
My response to dVerse Poets Pub Quadrille Monday: Drum
The first things the word ‘drum’ brought to mind were my youth in Germany, summer days outside with friends playing guitar, drinking fruit beer and wine, and smoking roll-ups made from Drum tobacco, usually duty-free brought back from trips over the border to Holland – most of us were students and had hardly any money.
writing in north norfolk 
I had never heard of Drum tobacco, and I never smoked either… but I always thought it looked so cool when people rolled their own cigarettes… Rizza paper I think it was called.
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Rizzlas – I always had a pack on me. I stopped smoking 27 years ago, and I’m glad I did. At the time it seemed cool – now I know better.
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It’s Dutch tobbaco – halfzare shag.
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Sorry – tobacco.
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Those sound like such carefree days Kim. Thanks for a glimpse into your past.
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Thank you, Linda, they were. Good memories, I just wish I hadn’t smoked. 😉
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I never did pick up that habit. I smoked a little pot here and there, but I was high on life. 🙂
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😉
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A vivid little snippet…and a unique inclusion of the word.
I smoked for about 13 years, but quit a very long time ago as well. Cheers to our health!
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I’ll drink to that!
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I like the description of smoking this tobacco as “the lick, the kiss”.
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Thanks Frank.
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I have been smoke free for nearly 17 years now. great piece on the subject brought back many memories. only tried Drum tobacco once did not like it was an old hobern man myself
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That’s the thing with tobacco,, you tend to have a favourite.
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I’ve never smoked, but my grandfather rolled his own his whole life (made it to 89) He could do it one-handed, which looked pretty cool.
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I tried but could never master the one-handed roll, Glenn.
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That was unexpected Kim! Well done. I remember my dad used to smoke Old Holborn and I would help him roll the cigarettes 🙂
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When I lived in Germany, the lady opposite would sit every evening and roll perfect cigarettes for her husband to take to work the next day. Needless to say, she taught me how to roll!
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Haha, it’s a great addition to the resumé isn’t it?
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Good one Kim! You really took me there, right down to the paper stuck on your lip. 🙂
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Thank you!
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“the lick, the kiss of flame, the inhalation as it ignites the tip,” .. such vivid imagery! I resonate strongly with this one, Kim! 💝 I used to smoke hookah four years ago 🙂
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I tried that once. 😉
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Ah Drum and roll ups. I remember those days 😀
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😉
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lol glad you gave up that dirty habit, but you sure make it sound seductive!
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🙂
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Ah the good old days. You took me there. My x used to use Drum until they taxed it into insane expensiveness!
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🙂
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Will always remind me of my brother, he still smokes drum. I still have a habit of actively passive smoking when friends roll up. Thanks for the memories
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🙂
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A lovely lookback. Thanks for sharing Kim
Much💖love
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And to you, Gillena!
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Oh what passion in his poem. Love it. Remember it.
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🙂
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The carefree days…I wonder if young people today will get the chance for them. (K)
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I hope so, but without the tobacco!
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I still see a lot of them smoking…
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Also a (fairly) long-term quitter…but:
Paper lip or no paper lip, reading this fine work triggered my (I-thought-I-was-over-that) craving. Thanks a bunch.
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My apologies, Ron. I’ll try to make it up to you with another poem. 🙂
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Yep Drum was my favourite too. I loved the apparatus of it all – and the dexterity of rolling a nice even smoke – seductive and evil (definitely). Took me back.
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I remember it well. 😉
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And picking bits of tobacco off the tongue as well 🙂
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🙂
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I love how you describe the ritual Kim, it brings back many teenage memories 🙂
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Thank you, Xenia! 🙂
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I’m with you in this one…
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🙂
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Only you- can wax lyrical over rolling a fag, Kim!
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Cheers Viv!
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Steady Beat
Drum Roll
Of my Father’s
46-Year-Law-Enforcement
Fearless-Cigarette-
Smoke Father’s
Day Present
Mine
NoW
No Fear
Only Addiction
Heaven’s Dance
Song Within Be
Free No Badge
FoR Me
Just SMiLes…
ChessHire Cat Style..:)
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😉
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😊
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Years ago our family was divided distinctly in two: the smokers and the non-smokers. My sweet aunt was a smoker and rolled her own cigarettes with Drum Tobacco and Player’s filtered tubes. This brought me back to watching her go through her ritual. Thanks for the memory reminder! I can somehow now smell that tobacco!
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Thanks for reading and commenting, Jo-Anne!
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I am pretty sure we had Drum here in Canada as well. I never rolled my own – and it’s been 23 years since I quit…
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It sounds like a carefree time. I’ve never heard of Drum tobacco, and I’ve never smoked. My husband has smoked since he was a teen and still does (UGH!)–outside only, of course.
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