happy has a smell
tuberoses braided in jasmine
intoxicating frangipani soothing
the restless night
w(h)isp/er of sandalwood incense
ginger-infused tea in a
a cardamom-clove-cinnamon-scented kitchen
where memories linger
first summer rain
quenching, macerating
the fissured map lines
lifelines of
earth’s epidermis
fear, too, has a smell
fermenting in its
stench of suspicion
snarl-of-surveillance smell
hunting-dog smell
fanged-grin-hunting-dog smell
chasing you
because you don’t belong here
you don’t belong
though you never take up much space
choking, cloying, claustrophobia
chasing you
trapping you in its
sinister smelling sneer
the odor of otherness
Savita Krishnamoorthy is a cultural critic who reviews literary + artistic works for the International Examiner, Seattle. Her writing publications include The Times of India, Feminist Media Histories (Univ. of California Press), and Black Embodiment Studio Journal. She is the author of MAPPING HOME, poems that celebrates the magic of life’s ordinary moments.
