In autumn
when leaves blanket
my yard
I hope
unlike most others
for rain
before I rake
The added
mess of raking
wet leaves is much
preferred
for it hastens their
decay and
olfactory air
Intoxicating
I inhale my youth
forest floor of
Hanson’s woods
where she
and I would
walk and
where we once sat
on a log
surrounded by dead
leaves and
their
moldering aroma
punctuating
everything that was
of me and
her smile has faded
but scents of
the earth
that forest
remind me
of a time when all
was right, and so
was she and
so were we and
now the
smell of decay
keeps
her alive
– Mark L. Lucker
© 2021
http://lrd.to/sxh9jntSbd
Beautiful imagery! I enjoyed the juxtaposition of fresh life/slow decay to elicit the bittersweet feel of memory. “as I inhale my youth” = <3
Thank you.
When the smell of decay, not altogether pleasant, keeps a pleasant memory alive.
I love your writing.
Thank you. Therein lies the poem; I LIKE that scent!
Poignant. Wonderful imagery but the use of scent was intoxicating. I love the smell of cedar, wood fires and wild gardenias.
Thank you for this one.
The poem above is the draft I submitted for the anthology. I changed one word that totally makes it a different piece than my first draft. Can anyone spot the word change?