There is no competition:
no freshly mown grass,
not even bread resting oven-hot.
For two intoxicating weeks
all the streets in our neighbourhood
become saturated with the drama
of spring ripening into summer:
sultry yet virginal,
adolescent meanders in the park behind school,
stolen handheld moments,
clumsy kiss.
All my journeys doubled for,
no matter how late I am,
I can never resist stopping
for a sniff.
The dVerse Poets Pub is open after its seasonal break, and Kelly is inviting us to write poems invoking the sense of smell and all the memories we associate with a particular scent.
This is perfect! Such a vivid depiction of that Summer long ago 🙂
Beautifully put!
Lots of love,
Sanaa
Lilacs and linden trees in bloom filled the evenings with their delicious scent in the neighbourhood where I lived as a teenager. Thank you for reading!
Ah…I recall that scent…unmistakable!
No perfume or soap can quite capture it, I’ve found.
Oh, there’s nothing like it, is there, Marina Sofia? You do a fabulous job of capturing the power of scent here.
My very favourite flowers, too, but sadly they do not keep…
No competition surely….and I am really looking forward to that spring awakening again ~ I too can never resist that smell ~
I never tire of it. Mind you, we haven’t had proper winter here yet, so spring may still be a long way away…
Taking a sniff to remember such wonderful times, then letting them invigorate our present. Well painted.
Thank you – it’s a smell that always transports me to a happy place.
Beautiful. Favorite line: “not even bread resting oven-hot.” It’s just perfect.
Thank you, I used to greedily start tearing at the bread as soon as it came out of the oven and then get tummy-ache… so that ‘resting’ was enforced.
Bang on, & thanks for the recall of that odiferous week of olfactory heaven. Here in the NW, the air can be intoxicating, even for crones like me. I like the implications that young love can blossom during that time as well. But returning home from school on my Mom’s baking day, with a fresh loaf of bread just out of the oven, with huge slices torn off & slathered with butter & jam, that’s a close second for me.
They flower all too briefly, don’t they? And I agree freshly-baked bread comes a close second…
Ah, there is something about the smell of spring, I think. Looks like lilacs in the photo….one of my favorite spring scents; and I can’t resist stopping when I come upon a bush either. Smiles.
Lilacs – absolutely my favourite flower – especially of the white variety, but I didn’t have a photo of that handy.
I adore that “clumsy kiss,” especially.
Lilacs bloom when school ends for summer here in Sweden… I think it has to be the perfect flower for all young love… Walking through the streets in the smell of lilacs picking a flower for your loved one… wonderful…
I like your description of “sultry yet virginal” and the “clumsy kiss.” And I love how the smell of lilacs transports you to your happy place too…nice.
Oh! Thanks for making me smile this way!
SpRinG Love
SeasOnal
eTern
Ally now..:)
Oh my, so true… There is no competition! Love the way you set this up so mysteriously.
OH, the wonderul woozy smell of lilacs…your description is “sultry yet virginal”, simply perfect Marina!
“Sultry yet virginal” – a lovely description of spring.
I love the smell of lilacs! I can never resist stopping to smell them either. What a beautiful memory of summer. Peace, Linda
“No matter how late I am”……………..I took a deep breath to inhale your poem even as I rushed out the door to run a late errand in town. Thank you for such a lovely set of words.