Skip to main content

Old Perfume

The power of perfume 
Secrets trapped in cheap glass bottles
The air is misty as I enter the room
Memories climb through my nose into my heart
How weak the soul is!
Vulnerable, protected by skin
But through the nose, through the mouth, through sad eyes
The haunting perfume can get in
This perfume, the one with the heart shaped glass
Reminds me of the days when I shopped as I skipped class
And if I close my eyes just tight enough
And if the circumstances are right enough
I can sniff the love perfume like a drug
That takes me right back to a day when I was a different me
Recollecting past memories of ourselves
We refer to ourselves in third person
That girl, that one who wore this perfume with the long blonde hair flowing down her back
Is not the girl I see today, with a hairdo that I would never have the courage to flaunt
Back when I drowned myself in the love perfume
Like a blooming, honey scented flower
Waiting for worker bees to devour me
Stop it, old perfume, I need to throw you away
I do not want to be transported back from this day
I am too young for this sort of nostalgia
I am too weak for these existential fantasies
I am too old to harbour teenage angst
Omnia vanitas vanitatum!
All perfume will run bone dry
No matter how many scents I buy
But before the perfume empties itself to the last
The perfume will already be thrown away
This is the only way these useless, sweet-scented memories
Will cease to consume my mind
My body will reject this old perfume
I am allergic to my regrets
They are a rash on my arms
A bullet hole in my spirit
No, there is no point to wearing old perfume


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Miles Away

I refuse to sell my heart, not for twenty-five cents The auction is closed, ladies and gents I’ve already sold my eyes, when they caught sight of the streets So now everyone can see the beauty of my Italian retreat I sold my tongue for gelato, feeling so young Letting the wild berries dance around on my tongue I sold my feet when I traveled to see our Holy Mother in gold Like a saint on a mission, I’ll walk until I get old I sold my ears when I heard beautiful Aida open her lips Echoing through the theatre in which the ancients used to sit But I won’t sell my heart, it is still free For my heart belongs to God and not really to me My heart aches for home, too many miles away Yet for now I am here and I will live for today Yes, I sold my eyes to Italy; it’s all I can see How I wish you were here seeing these treasures with me I’ll try to buy back my sight, taste, and ears too So that I’ll be able to share these memories with you

We Pretend

We pretend that we'll live forever That tomorrow will bring something better We pretend we're not made of stars As we roam the streets and bars We pretend we'll never die That our kids won't ever cry Over the loss that is our end Every student, teacher, friend Everyone we've ever known Has a constellation they call home When the moon comes out at night I look to them to see the light To all those who did pretend That their story would never end But on some nights, breezy and clear I see the stars and they feel near I can grasp one and hold it in my hand As it takes me to another land We pretend this earth is all there is to see Yet the stars and crickets have spoken to me We pretend we'll never die Because we truly won't To someone's eye

Not Your Typical New Year's Resolutions

2016 is a big year for me and for most friends my age. 2016 means I'll transform from "Olga Taratuta, High School Graduate" to "Olga Taratuta, B.A." 2016 holds my future in its sweaty palms. The words "job," "money," "graduate school," and "scholarships" seem to have dominated my pool of vocabulary. 2016 is where I become a real adult, not the OSAP mooching fraud that I am now. But adulthood is a scam. It is a fable told by society to keep the economy in check. Adults are seduced by money. We become promiscuous, lurking the streets to make a buck.  My original goals for 2016 were to: A) Get into graduate school B) Get a job C) Get an apartment D) Save, save, save! Then I realized that all those goals are money-driven to some degree. They are but cookie cutter resolutions, such as "exercise more" or "lose 5 pounds." I will not make money by aiming to make money. I have realized this ...