What does your house smell like?
Wood
Earth
Malt
Linden
Trunk of a live oak
Disemboweled black and thick
Contents spilling
Not exactly unpleasant
List only types of clothing
That are carriers for scent
Pillowslip impregnated with sweat
Grotesque conditions inside of a shoe
Sometimes a smoky smell from outside
Smell of old leather
Famous smell of rotting garbage
Savory smells
Animal smells
Please bury your face in
This is too strong to be truly shameful
“Nor is it beside the point to remember that
Births as well as deaths are announced
By stunning, singular smells” (Saenz)
Your spit interfering with your hair
What kind of an event is that
Or is it hair that entraps
Receptacle of a human life’s
Intake of cigarettes
Another thing about smell is it can feel like
Being enveloped in someone else’s world
I find that very appealing
When you enter on a cold day and you
Fabric sucks to your body
Wraps around and picks up some of the seasoning
I mean what you leave on your
Bicycle seat is only a shadow
Chrome
Smell of wetted fur
Felt drenched to the core
A syrupy smell
And a vulgar scent
This poem is part of our ongoing series, Strange Visions.
 | A guest post by
|
Jaime Saenz?