AROMAS

AROMAS

My mother’s coffee had such a strong aroma,
We had no need for an alarm clock.
Every morning it would travel from the kitchen to my bedroom,
(To be honest, there was not much distance to travel)
It would attack my being and never gave up until I left the house for school.
It was a great aroma,
Even if you didn’t like coffee.

My Uncle’s Cubans had the same effect at family gatherings.
It is not hype, you know.
There is something special about the aroma of a good cigar.
One will always remember that aroma,
Even if you don’t like cigars.

Something special happened, in my life, at the sound of popping corn.
A whiff would take me somewhere I had never been.
It was  living for the first time, every time.
A bit of oil in that iron pot,
(Yeah, like we had a special corn popper)
And the fireworks would begin.
What a joy,
Even if it made an instant mess between your teeth.

I can sum up my life as going from scent to scent,
From aroma to aroma,
From sweet smells to bitter tastes.

The scent on your back as I held you for so many midnights is the one that lingers in my head.
It sent me to sleep forever, it seems.
The aroma is still with me, it can’t be replaced no matter how much cologne I spray in this direction.
The scent of your back is the one I still remember,
Even if you turned your back on me,
As you have done now.