I will never be a fragrance aficionado,
though summer late is permeated
by perfume from blossoms innocent
and white,
never be the first to give in to seduction
nor write sonnets to subtle notes,
however, one thing is certain,
is right above my nose—I will always be intense.
Scent, for a fact, in a poem is neglected;
is overlooked, is lost,
is hardly appreciated, what of lilacs and oranges?
What of august rain that is anything
but delicate?
I breathe them in, knowing well, I will be
intoxicated,
scent has the ability to unravel
even the most hidden of human inclinations,
both, the power of suggestion
and art of creating entire worlds through illusion.
It’s like the example of tuberose; evoking
both body and decay,
keep it in contrast with garlic,
and one is instantaneously led down lane
of memories repressed,
it’s nothing short of a gamble,
I wonder if one is ever truly free from its hold?
Scent of blue, as though walking into
a library with mildewed assault,
scents of the past tied
in a ribbon, of damask rose that floods the air,
my conscience is grounded every time,
where do I begin?
Scent of spices lingering, of honey
and bread and provocation of greed,
it’s as treading into a basement
dark and tempting,
these I inhale, as the city sternly sits and stares,
what of individuality and grit?
Doesn’t every poem possess its own appeal
and sense?
I allow myself to be swept away by experiences
new and old alike,
there’s only so much time we are given
to understand ourselves—
like paper and indelible ink; intensity bears a scent.
Photo credits: Person Holding a Pink Rose by Viktoria Lunyakova, Pexels.
Jo is our guest host at dVerse where she invites us to write a poem of scents.
Come join us! 💘
Posted for Poetics: A World of Common Scents @dVerse Poets Pub
28 Responses
This poem is filled with all kinds of scents – from blossoms, to lilacs and oranges to spices and honey. Adore the connection to scents to the power of suggestion
and art of creating entire worlds through illusion.
Thank you for an intense poem!
Thank you so much, Grace 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Everything is in the start of ghis poem; it is a grandiose sentence, leading in, teasing, the start if a great oratory, I love it, how it sets the somewhat mocking tone, so full of character…and the rest of the poem falls so beautifully behind it. Lovely, intense.
Thank you so much, Ain 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
What a pleasure to read a Sanaa poem again! It is indeed intense and full of romance, seduction and perfume. I particularly enjoyed these lines:
‘Scent, for a fact, in a poem is neglected;
is overlooked, is lost,
is hardly appreciated, what of lilacs and oranges?
What of august rain that is anything
but delicate?’
(I agree that ‘scent has the ability to unravel’)
and
‘Scent of blue, as though walking into
a library with mildewed assault,
scents of the past tied
in a ribbon’.
Awww gosh! Thank you so much, Kim 😍 so glad you liked it! 💄❤️
This could be an ode to scents, maybe a perfumers nose, but I also feel the poet’s struggle to put fragrance to words… sometimes maybe the fragrance is there like a thief that you never can capture.
Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Sanaa a noble and fluid tribute to scents and how they make our minds wander.
Thank you so much, Lisa 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Goodness! I don’t even know where to begin. So much! SO much! And all of it sen-and-scent-sational. As one who has an immense love of petrichor, the August rains line struck home. I agree there should be more odes to scent. Bravo!!
Aww gosh! Thank you so much, Raivenne 😀 so glad you enjoyed it! 💄❤️
Intense fragrance in your words, Sanaa! The fragrance of your poetry permeates the soul. 💖💖
Thank you so much, Punam 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
Intensity places drops like this behind poetry’s ear and it becomes intoxication. Which you inhale so well.
Aww gosh! Thank you so much, Brendan 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Lovely garden you painted here Sanaa. Btw, apologies for, on Bjorn’s poem, replying to your comment, twice even! Some bug in the system. Apologies. I trust he’ll get to see it anyway.
Ah.. no worries! Thank you so much, Petru 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Gorgeous poemed scents.
Much💖love
Thank you so much, Gillena 😀 so glad the poem appealed to you 💄❤️
Much love back!
This is wonderful, Sanaa! I love especially the scent of blue. I love the meander we go on down your verses. “tuberose evoking both body and decay”. – great line! And that last line is just the icing on the cake! Thanks for this lovely piece!
Aww gosh! Thank you so much, Josephine 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
(and thank you for the glorious prompt) 🌹
Beautifully written. I love all the scents floating through your poem.
Thank you so much, Dwight 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Oh My, Sanaa …. this is one of your finest!!!! It incorporates a depth of what our sense of smell means, how delicious it really is.
Aww gosh! Thank you so much, my dearest Helen 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Your poems have an unparalleled mystique, Sanaa, and this one showcases it in a sensational display of your word-magic.
You are too kind! Thank you so much, Dora 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️