“Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains.” - Diane Ackerman
Poetry Jam this week bottles the good stuff with a challenge based on bottles of all kinds. “Whatever you decide, put bottle in your poetry this week”, was the suggestion. Here is my poem:
The Scent Bottle
A mislaid, forgotten bottle of your scent
I found today and opened to inhale;
A flood of memories spun a rich tale,
With costly perfumes from Tashkent,
Souvenirs of glances hidden by a veil.
I found today and opened to inhale;
A flood of memories spun a rich tale,
With costly perfumes from Tashkent,
Souvenirs of glances hidden by a veil.
Your pale demeanour, golden hair
Enveloped in a cloud of fragrance,
Enhancing so your silky elegance;
Reminding me, through scent so rare,
Our parting – making me despair.
Enveloped in a cloud of fragrance,
Enhancing so your silky elegance;
Reminding me, through scent so rare,
Our parting – making me despair.
The citrus, civet and the earthy musk
Are mixed with the delights of rose;
The smells waft, delicately to caress the nose.
The summery afternoon, the violet dusk
What marvels does a scent bottle enclose!
Are mixed with the delights of rose;
The smells waft, delicately to caress the nose.
The summery afternoon, the violet dusk
What marvels does a scent bottle enclose!
My wandering fingers on your skin
I recollect, absorbing with each touch
An aromatic kiss – in love so much!
Warm ambergris like sounds of violin,
Fading recall, as snowflake, to clutch.
I recollect, absorbing with each touch
An aromatic kiss – in love so much!
Warm ambergris like sounds of violin,
Fading recall, as snowflake, to clutch.
A perfume bottle and your memory I seek,
In billows of vetiver, nard and myrrh.
My loss, the scent I smell, will now aver
Times past, of happiness gone, to speak,
As echoes of long-lost love I stir…
In billows of vetiver, nard and myrrh.
My loss, the scent I smell, will now aver
Times past, of happiness gone, to speak,
As echoes of long-lost love I stir…
Gorgeous poem! I could smell that perfume through your words.
ReplyDeleteso much memory contained in scents...one whiff and it takes you back to those places and people...no it wont ever go away....
ReplyDeletethanks for the wishes for my dad
fragrance bringing home so many associations ......lovely
ReplyDeleteWistful and romantic, Nick! I agree, there are just so many memories in a small whiff of perfume!
ReplyDeletePerfume presses the instant recall button. Romantic fragrance about this poem.
ReplyDeleteI guess this is why they can get so much for those little bottles of scent! You are right about scents tapping memories. I saw somewhere that scent memory is one of the key things they test when diagnosing Alzheimers. It would be sad to lose those.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of memories and smells reminded me of the perfume my mom loved - Evening in Paris. She always put some one before going out with my dad. I hadn't seen that perfume for decades and couldn't remember its fragrance. Then one day fairly recently I found some in a store. As soon as I smelled it, it was all familiar again.
ReplyDeleteWhat a bitter-sweet and nostalgic poem this is. We all have memories of our favorite scent and you have captured that very well. I love the illustration too!
ReplyDeleteThis is a moving poem, Nick. So very evocative. And I understand exactly what you are saying. The association of a scent and a person is particularly strong. And it is sad when the person, with whom the scent is associated, is no longer in one's life. Always glad to see you at Poetry Jam, Nick.
ReplyDeleteLovely poem, took me on quite the sense-ual journey. Really enjoyed this :-)
ReplyDeleteMysterious and evocative, scent and passion well crafted into a world of emotion.
ReplyDeleteI like all the perfume constituents you list in the poem: Citrus, civet, musk, rose, vetiver, nard and myrrh. Almost as though you are giving the recipe...
ReplyDeleteGreat poem!
Oh how scent can take us back and conjure beautiful memories. This is lovely Nicholas!
ReplyDelete... you have me mesmerized with this poem ... scents do indeed invoke many, many memories. Luscious, unforgettable.
ReplyDeleteSmell is probably the most evocative of all our senses and you have really put into words that heady profusion of memories and feelings that scent can evoke.
ReplyDeleteI love this thought. The smells that remind us of times past are the best. Nice poem
ReplyDeleteVery evocative, just like scents of beloved people are.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful poem.
ReplyDelete