Parents' Day Blushes

In the 'Welcome To Random Verse' post, I made mention of a short rhyme I wrote when aged eight or nine years old, in response to the teacher's request to write a poem 'about your parents'. Back when I was eight or nine years old, smoking was far more socially acceptable, and more people in general were smokers, including my parents. Memories of the living room filled with a fog of cigarette smoke, of ashtrays full to overflowing, inspired me to write the following verse at such a tender age:

My Parents

My mum and my dad both smoke,
The rest of the family choke.
My dad, he smokes like a train;
My mum is just the same.

This poem was put up on the classroom wall at a parent/teacher evening.  Unsurprisingly my parents' reaction on returning from the parent/teacher evening was not warm and effusive, after seeing this piece of work, and having all the other parents see it too...  Thankfully my parents stopped smoking a few years ago. None of their children ever felt the desire to take up the habit.