Of course as always I am super excited to see you post a new poem. I'm in love with your words and unique way of looking at everyday things, and of course you wow me again. Sigh.

The perfume of our past and then the bit with aloe vera... oh man. Of course perfumes can linger with a memory, and the aloe vera is a cover up for burns.. I thought that was such an interesting way of noting your "hurt" here.

Love the "smell like mourning".. and the way you go into your next line instead of it being a burnt smell like I anticipated from the aloe vera part, you wow us with the idea of things being stale. So the pain may not be as fierce (perhaps the mourning period lost its sting and you're just focused on the memory now).

I feel like there is some significance with jasmine tea, but I'm not sure. I love that it's so specific.

You used dangled :) I LOVE THAT. lol. Dangling lips to chin, like it's a wavering chin and it had to be touched by lips to cover the pain.

The end kind of surprises me. It seems like this is an actual loss of someone passing, perhaps the memory of them has faded and dying? Or the relationship they cut off ended up being more painful than they thought, perhaps making a mistake.. the part about chapels makes me feel like they're asking for forgiveness, that they want to make it better again.

It also gives me a bit of hope.. I'm holding on pretty strong to the aloe vera part and how it heals burns, so it makes me feel like you're able to move forward in life while the other person who caused the pain is suffering the consequences.

I absolutely love this poem. You had so much to say in such a little part and it really impacted me. This is gorgeous.

You're the most beautiful writer.

I love you, I gotchu, beibi..

I have been wearing
the perfume of our past on my skin
like a layer aloe vera.
^Loved this! I definitely agree that this perfume is meant to cover up the hurt, hence the aloe vera. Perfume often gives one a refreshing feeling, and lingers for quite some time, so it was quite surprising how you say it 'smells like mourning' but it's absolutely fitting with the poem and this nostalgia. Personally I think perfume definitely reveals emotions and personality, couldn't have expressed this any better.

the kind you wake to when
the ground has aged,
^This makes the perfume seem as more of a stench now, perhaps a more awful of a scent. Loved how you said your hair is white, meaning that you've aged too perhaps?

Something tells me that this person knew that the both of you weren't meant to be anymore, hence why they were already grieving, or maybe they were going through the hardship of someone's death. Not sure, but either way 'dangled your lips to my chin' sounded more of a temptation, kind of as though they were teasing you, leading you on further maybe they weren't sure what exactly they wanted or needed. Maybe this death or whichever they are grieving over has made them distant yet at the same still want someone by their side.

Interesting write, clearly one to make you think a bit but at the same time lovely and not as abstract as some previous writes I've read from you. Very well done :) Missed your writing.

I seen this poem on the nominated list...and let me tell you, this IS a winner, no doubt about it!!!

First stanza: Scents linger in our past, something as small as a small hint of a smell can trigger a memory. You captured that so well here. One little nit-pick that I hate for even pointing out.. but I'm sure you just missed it while proof-reading. "like a layer aloe vera. " ... I think you mean "like a layer OF aloe vera" ... like I said, nit-pick :P but if it was me, I'd want someone to call it to my attention lol. If you didn't mean it to have the of, totally ignore this. haha

Second stanza: When I think of wool, I automatically think of the smell of moth balls. I'm really unsure why. But that's the smell that comes to my attention when reading this line talking of smelling like mourning... a melancholy touch.

Third stanza: Time has passed, hair has turned white, so the nostalgic memories key in here. Writing poetry of love that burned your heart to even think about.

Fourth stanza: This stanza is so passionate, the lips dangling from the chin...amazing imagery!!! and dragging hands like time was running out... such awesome wording to describe the rapid movements, like he didn't know where to touch first.

Ending: This ending is completely heartbreaking. This whole time while reading, I was thinking this poem was about a relationship that had fizzed out... but in the end it seems as though they passed away? And idk if it's just me, but from the line "loss planting itself in the marrow of your bones" ... I automatically think Cancer. I could be wrong but I guess I just relate to that because my grandpa had cancer and it spread to his bones. Just one of those lines that reach out and can be relatable.

This is completely an indescribable piece. Adding to my favorites!!! Sorry if I rambled like a mad woman, I tend to do that often, lol.

Judge comment:

Instantly this poem made me realize just how often scents trigger memories. This poet has such a wonderful way with her words and metaphors, such as aloe vera in disguise as a burn. The content of the poem throughout itself is beautiful and melancholy. The poet seemingly takes you through a lifetime of pain and feeling in just a few short stanzas and wows us with her words choice yet again. This definitely needs to be seen on the front page.. beautiful work!

Judge comment:

Instantly this poem made me realize just how often scents trigger memories. This poet has such a wonderful way with her words and metaphors, such as aloe vera in disguise as a burn. The content of the poem throughout itself is beautiful and melancholy. The poet seemingly takes you through a lifetime of pain and feeling in just a few short stanzas and wows us with her words choice yet again. This definitely needs to be seen on the front page.. beautiful work!

Smurfie, this has been in my favourites since you posted it. How have I only just remembered I never commented-slap me?!

I simply adore your opening, Britt's right with what she says about scents triggering memories. I think scent is one of the senses that gets overlooked and yet remains one of the strongest.

We may see things, taste, feel, hear, but when we are confronted with a familiar scent, good or bad, it's almost like we are right back in that moment.

"and my jasmine tea has "

This. This is what I love about your work. You add in flavours, scents, colours. Just one word all the time and yet it adds so much more than if you were to simply state "tea"

"spilt on the poetry
I wrote the night before ..."

I'm probably interpreting this wrong (as I do with all your work, but as I said once it's MY interpretation so it doesn't matter hahahaah) Anyway, this makes me think perhaps you were writing about someone last night and in the cold light of morning all you could feel was anger, that maybe, possibly, the spilt tea wasn't an accident?

"I never realized you were
already grieving, knees to chest
in abandoned chapels, loss
planting itself in the marrow
of your bones. "

Hmmm. Whilst I do love this stanza, I keep reading it the opposite way around as it sounds better to me. What I mean is, "I never realized you were
already grieving" I think that should be the closing as I think it holds more power as the ending line than the one you have up now.

Of course that being said, I adore every part of this, as I adore all your work :)

P.S I miss you!