Anne’s New Aroma*
A Free Verse Poem on Scent, Memory, and Love
Anne’s aroma has changed,
a peppery edge now hovers in the air,
not in the least unpleasant, but absolutely insistent,
a rich pungency, as if the world itself
has pressed close to her skin.
There is yeast there, too,
the scent of bread rising, of something living, transforming,
and a whisper of fruit,
just past its prime, sweet and almost bruised,
the perfume of endings.
This is the aroma of finitude,
and I tuck myself into her warmth,
inhaling each note, each trace,
memorizing the way her presence lingers,
so that when the air is empty,
she will remain, engraved in the core of my days.
*People with cancer often develop an “odour signature” stemming from metabolic changes, medications, treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy, and/or tumours as they metastasize, combining to create volatile organic compounds.
https://www.vinmec.com/eng/blog/are-we-capable-of-smelling-cancer-en
If you feel like keeping track of Anne’s journey, I’m chronicling it here:
https://robertmcbrydeauthor.com/news/
