ODOURS OF MY LIFE........

People store up memories in the eyes of their heart and mind, but to me I store up smells and feelings. Quaint as it may sound that’s true .I have this extraordinary affinity with smells. Don’t know why
But I guess its because I react to them just as others react to other stimuli.
This poem is dedicated to the different fragrant memories I have….


If I close my eyes and take a deep breath …
I can see
Can feel the salty tang of the sea
The spray of many a waterfall
Tiny droplets like dewdrops
Wispy and fine
Smelling of sunshine
Fresh and cool enough to make me just a lil tipsy
The sweet sultry smell of freshly cut green grass.
Its sap headier than the bouquet of the finest wine
Turns my brain to mush and body fill with lethargy
Oh how I wish on that sluggish summer afternoon
I could sleep and sleep, drowsily and deep
Fragrant flowers bring back memories
Sweet peas, sweet as their name
Bring with them the droning of a thousand bees
The whispering of the trees
Their branches waving ever so gently
The bittersweet smell of crushed neem seeds underfoot
Spicy aroma of eucalyptus leaves
Crushed fallen intoxicating maple leaves
Citrus tangy lime and orange blossom

Incense in the temples
And musty interiors of old churches
Telling untold stories of the lives they’ve led
Smell of freshly shaven pencils
And wax as it melts
Fresh paint on walls and door
Turpentine and polish …
The brooding stillness of a house
Its long forgotten walls craving love and life
Redolent with the musty dank smells of decay
Yet with a promise of life
Waiting, Waiting, waiting…
Olive oil and tangy spices
Mustard with its bite
Rancid sour cheese as it matures
Onions that do make the tears run
Pungent garlic and mint in the kitchen
Of days of cooking…
Freshly baked bread, cakes and warm ovens remind me
Of laughing children, tittering teenagers…
Well-cooked meals, of happy families…

The smell of freshly moistened earth
Parched from the hot scorching sun that never does cease
The tang of sweat doth kick my memory
Stray traces of evocative talc or aftershave…
Freshly ironed linen sweet and clean
The potpourri in the cupboard
Year after year never looses its fresh lavender
That permeates the very being
And remains long after its essence is gone…

The musty and earthy smells of the manure, cattle and sheep
I recollect all behind my eyes in a deep dreamless sleep
The aseptic scary smells of the hospital wards
That smell of spirit, and the pharmacy
Doth plague my spirit and inspire mortal fear
Obnoxious choking fumes of the vehicle exhausts, like a burr on the senses…
And in contrast the smell of my baby kid shoes doth bring a tear…
Or the smell of a fine sky so clear…. freedom
So many smells…
Nice smells, coarse smells, earthy smells, interesting smells, pungent smells, strong smells, nasty smells, evocative smells, special smells.
Each one doth in our lives dwell
And each, just as special
Makes up the fabric of my life
Be it pleasure, pain, joy or strife.
Because this is life
And they are life…