His Scent

Cushion-deep, his scent circles me
and my thoughts
elemi, pink pepper and geranium
followed by cedar,
with fingers that trace the overhead sky–
moonless in its apparition.
With each breath, a new promise takes root
my canary heart colliding with the wild sky of darkness
and light–
every sense in return is heightened.
I place my poems birthed from his ribcage
into a jar
and wait as night turns into morn;
the only remnant
being a lipstick mark which offers his yearning not rest.

 

 

Photo credits: Aaron Westerberg, 1974, Pinterest

Skylover Wordlist: Circle, moonless, apparition, root, canary, cage ❀️

Posted for the Writer’s Pantry @ Poets and Storytellers United

48 thoughts on “His Scent

  1. The “poems birthed from his ribcage” still jumped at me. It’s just so… alive with flesh and blood and ink. The same goes for the “canary heart”. So vivid.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Magaly πŸ˜€ so glad the poem resonated with you πŸ’„β€

  2. Ah yes – as I was just saying to Helen Patrice re Thich Nhat Hanh – smell is so evocative.

    I too liked ‘poems birthed from his ribcage’ – a new twist on the old Adam-and-Eve / man-and-woman story. And I love the choice of words in that ending: ‘not rest’ so much more exact and meaningful than ‘no rest’ would have been.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Rosemary πŸ˜€ so glad you liked it πŸ’„β€

  3. Kerry says:

    Thank you for using my #skyloverwordlist, Sanaa. You really create magic with a list of words. This poem is awesome.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Kerry πŸ˜€ so glad you enjoyed it πŸ’„β€

  4. Thotpurge says:

    elemi – such a word!! I like the poems in a jar… feel I should do that at once!

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Rajani πŸ˜€ so glad the poem resonated with you πŸ’„β€

  5. This is such a sensual poem, Sanaa, and I love the scent of geranium and cedar. My favourite lines:
    β€˜my canary heart colliding with the wild sky of darkness
    and light’
    and
    β€˜I place my poems birthed from his ribcage
    into a jar’.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Kim πŸ˜€ so glad you enjoyed it πŸ’„β€

  6. Anna :o) says:

    A beautiful sensual write Sanaa – your words are hypnotic.
    Anna :o]

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Anna πŸ˜€ so glad you liked it πŸ’„β€

  7. Jae Rose says:

    So many delicious fragrances running through this poem

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Jae πŸ˜€ so good to see you πŸ’„β€

  8. vandana says:

    Oh! you write the best love poems and I am lost in these poems of yours…………

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Vandana πŸ˜€ so glad you enjoyed it πŸ’„β€

  9. Lori says:

    “Cushion-deep” feels so luxuriant. Both soft and encompassing. I, too, love the “poems birthed from his rib cage” straight from the heart.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Lori πŸ˜€ so glad the poem resonated with you πŸ’„β€

  10. Sensual and absolutely beautiful!

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Linda πŸ˜€ so good to see you πŸ’„β€

  11. Overall, this poem invokes melancholy images of my past but this line brings hope:
    “With each breath, a new promise takes root
    my canary heart colliding with the wild sky of darkness
    and light–”
    A new promise with each breath – something I remind myself everyday with My One.
    Thank you for another beautiful, resonating word painting, Sanaa

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Joel πŸ˜€ so glad the poem resonated with you πŸ’„β€

  12. Poems birthed from a rib cage can’t help but be poems to treasure!

    1. Sanaa says:

      Definitely πŸ˜‰ thanks for stopping by, MMT πŸ’„β€

  13. Myrna says:

    I think this is one of your best. Your choice of words had me mesmerized. Lovely, sensual, sexy, beautiful – just a few words to describe this.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Awwww gosh! πŸ’„β€ Thank you so much, Myrna πŸ˜€ so glad you enjoyed it! πŸ’„β€

  14. Chrissa says:

    You have a wonderful skill in drawing me deep into the scents and emotions of your lines–this is just wonderful.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Chrissa πŸ˜€ so glad the poem resonated with you πŸ’„β€

  15. Helen Dehner says:

    I agree that scent is enormously evocative … I can still ‘bring back the scent’ of past loves, and it feels delicious.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Awwwww gosh!πŸ’„β€ Thank you so much, Helen πŸ˜€ so glad you liked it! πŸ’„β€

  16. gillena says:

    Your poem comes to life with all those clever images you write
    Happy Sunday Sanaa

    Much❀🌷❀love

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Gillena πŸ˜€ so good to see you πŸ’„β€

      Much love …

  17. Bjorn Rudberg says:

    There is nothing stronger than the scent— the longing in your poem is so strong here … love it.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Bjorn πŸ˜€ so glad you liked it πŸ’„β€

  18. ZQ says:

    Beautiful as usual.

    1. Sanaa says:

      πŸ’„β€πŸ’„β€

  19. I love the last stanza here Sanaa, the imagery is so wonderful. Is that a Sargent painting??

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Audrey πŸ˜€ so glad you enjoyed it πŸ’„β€

      (the painting is by Aaron Westerberg)

  20. Rommy says:

    So much wanting and anticipation in this piece. You can almost hear the subject sighing as they long for the next encounter with their beloved.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Rommy πŸ˜€ so glad the poem resonated with you πŸ’„β€

  21. “My poems birthed from his ribcage”…what a great reference. Your words are such beautiful art with their own power to heighten the senses.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, H.Hennenburg πŸ˜€ so good to see you πŸ’„β€

  22. So beautiful and rich with the intimacy of love.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Susie πŸ˜€ so glad you enjoyed it πŸ’„β€

  23. Old Egg says:

    How beautifully written Sanaa. ‘Poems birthed from his rib-cage’ struck me as so significant as I could imagine the girl resting her head on his chest and feeling as though his whole body was talking to her. A delightful poem indeed.

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Robin πŸ˜€ so glad the poem resonated with you πŸ’„β€

  24. Barry says:

    Oh my, this is beautiful!

    1. Sanaa says:

      Thank you so much, Barry πŸ˜€ so glad you liked it πŸ’„β€

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