The Unhealthy Relationship

my lover
for 20 years
we have known each other
you have been there for me
when no other has
consoling me in my darkest hours
never apart
for more than a few hours
lest my failed attempt
10 years ago
to leave you behind
i have tried several times
to leave you
but each time i have failed
you always call me back
i always come running
even though you suffocate me
and i know that some day
you will be my death
but you are an addiction
that's hard to break
an unhealthy relationship
which i know i must end
and when i do
i will celebrate my freedom
while also mourning
the loss of my best friend
nicotine