Tuesday, August 23, 2022

scents in the house

i.

a twig of rosemary

a fist of fresh basil leaves

a dash of pepper & thyme & lime

on homemade soup and grilled meats- 

the table top creases of ripe blue berries

and yellow banana oats muffins-

i'll wait here >>>

after i devour my plate 

of canned dog food


ii.

fallen

green crab apples on ground-

brown-edged

maple leaves on sun-burnt grass-

smell of early autumn


iii.

down the rabbit hole at the back of the house

i trace back

the city where i grew up

small park around the church & stores-

smelling of sugar canes & fresh sugar fields-

every street corner filled with rice sugar treats-

the summer heat fills my nostrils like smoke-

my bones are diabetic now

but my hands search for that sweet air of sugar-

the cotton-candy-kind-of-missing one's childhood


iv.

i press my cheek

on my grandchild's head of curly curls-

in between sticky fingers of saliva drools

i inhale sweetness of soap & sunshine-



Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - A World of Scents, with guest host Jo.  Join us when the pub doors open at 3pm EST.


14 comments:

  1. This is gorgeously rendered, Grace! I especially love this part; "i trace back the city where i grew up/small park around the church & stores/smelling of sugar canes & fresh sugar fields." 💘💘

    ReplyDelete
  2. With age comes most amazing memories, the kind you have shared with us today. My bones are diabetic as well ... This is an incredibly evocative poem, Grace.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I knew you would write about those scents... it must be so different from where you grew up to where you are living now... the contrast between the stanzas make that so clear.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That’s an impressive houseful of scents, Grace, so aromatic and welcoming! It’s also colourful, especially the berry blue and banana yellow among all the green of the leaves and lime, as well as the autumn scents and colours. Thank you too for sharing your memories.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You covered a lot of turf in this one, Grace. The canned dog food threw me, but you made me think of that distinctive smell when you did. You also had me remembering cotton candy aroma from being at the carnival. Grandbaby's head smell something precious indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  6. "the city where i grew up
    small park around the church & stores-
    smelling of sugar canes"

    That could have been ripped directly from my childhood.

    The view from the family pet was charming and funny evoking memories of my dog doing such.

    Thank you for sharing your memories. I now smile in mine.

    ReplyDelete
  7. A lovely, and emotional look at time...this had an effect on me..

    ReplyDelete
  8. I inhaled deeply, as I read your words and the aromas you evoked made me smile. Beautiful, Grace.

    ReplyDelete
  9. A heady, hearty, arty whiff Grace. Mmm.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Some well remembered scents. I had forgotten about the scent of burning cane fields just or a while

    Much💖love

    ReplyDelete
  11. Interesting writing from the dog's perspective, waiting at the table! Well done, Grace!

    ReplyDelete
  12. There's a strange otherwordly drift in this poem, from the dog, down the rabbit hole to childhood then back to granddamhood. All on a cloud of scents.

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is wonderfully delicious Grace! Fragrantly engaging… 🙂✌🏼❤️

    ReplyDelete
  14. Your words transport us, Grace, into kaleidoscopic sensations, your memories, your heart.
    ~Dora

    ReplyDelete

I try my best to reciprocate comments and visits.
I allow anonymous comments if you have difficulty posting them. Thank you & have a good day!!!