Poetry
I Never Turn My Nose up at Celebrated Scents
What can I tell from the smell?
Fresh baked bread Calls my morning tummy Yummy Before indulging with real butter My heart awakes and flutters Listens for the grind of coffee beans Which means Caffeine
Tongue salivates As olfactory bulb lights up From the rich aroma relayed Direct to brain’s deep limbic wells Of memories, emotions tell the Story to Amygdala and hippocampus Somatic engines rev up Ready for another day
Evening scents of simmering curry Cumin, anise, and cardamom Twirl in a slow dance as Nostrils witness romance of Turmeric and cinnamon There’s no hurry
My snout suffices to sniff and savor Our sense of taste has limits Four basic flavors Sweet, sour, bitter, salty Our sense of smell is never faulty
But food is not the only thing That makes my emotions sing
Burning incense is my substitute for Essentials oils because I’m poor I have jasmine, nature’s Xanax Sandalwood soothes anxiety So too frankincense and myrrh Combined in one — all silencers of Bleak moods and depression
Cheaper than a therapy session!
I could rave on forever on the bouquet of sweet memories conjured by a familiar scent. (I have yet to remember why I hate the smell of burnt toast!)
“Smells are handled by the olfactory bulb, the structure in the front of the brain that sends information to the other areas of the body’s central command for further processing. Odors take a direct route to the limbic system, including the amygdala and the hippocampus, the regions related to emotion and memory.” — neurosciencenews.com
Dawn Goldworm, founder of 12.29, studied perfumery for five years and explains our dominant sense, smell, in this TEDx talk. You will learn everything you need to know in 11 minutes.
You know I love to include music in a story. Staying on topic, I leave you with Dutch singer, Sharon Kovacs.
This is a very late response to the Poetry Prompt generated by Lucy The Eggcademic (she/her) on 12 December.
I switched off Medium on 22 December as I was burning out and returned on 2 January to explain my absence.
Having written a few lines in December, I vowed to complete the piece because Lucy said she was looking forward to my contribution.
Thank you for encouraging me to finish. It’s never too late!
Thank you for being here.
Please enjoy this contribution by Dr. Preeti Singh: