She does not like the way it smells
on her wrist, mellow undertones
are not her fresh destination.
It reminds her of me.
Not a lightweight citrus,
this one. It tells pungent tales.
The initial impression is sharp
and new, then gives way
and new, then gives way
to the riddle of vetiver and cedar,
ancient woody cananga tree, deep
trysts only a Bulgarian rose might know.
She shakes her sandalwood head
and tosses the bottle on the bed.
Between the sheets, my tired skin
no longer diffuses the sweet
young dance of lavender.
You can keep it, Mom.
It’s a little too old for me.
Tess Kincaid
September 2010
September 2010
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Oh Willow I am captivated by this one. Might be my favorite so far. "deep trysts only a Bulgarian rose might know" ha - fantastico! Wait, "it tells pungent tales" that one also got me.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter gave me this when she was visiting over the weekend. I've been wearing it ever since and my muse is oh-so-happy!
ReplyDelete"...a little too moldy"! and just right for women of a certain age:) How I love your description...
ReplyDeleteOh I love this. I bet I would like the scent too. Everyone I know hates Patchauli. My grandson calls Patchauli moldy.LOL
ReplyDeleteQMM
Oh that was good!
ReplyDelete...gave me a chuckle..daughters.
This is so good! Your descriptions, your metaphors are amazing!
ReplyDeleteHah! I'd have dumped it on her when she called it "moldy."
ReplyDeleteOkay, not really, but I'm sure the thought would've crossed my mind.
She'd better not say anything about the Z-hat. ;)
Great but... ouch? "too moldy for me"
ReplyDeleteI was drawn in on this one from the first line... 'mellow undertones are not her fresh destination.' I could catch the aroma, my senses trying to decipher from the the start.
ReplyDeleteGreat one!
What a distinct cologne, this one! Just like you!
ReplyDeleteAnd a daughter's gift, with pungent words here and there. Exact and sharp, while she doesn't mean them to be that way at all.
You captured mother-daughter relationships so sharply with this tale.
Thanks, Lakeviewer, I'm glad you read between the layers in this piece!
ReplyDeleteWhat's nice about the cologne is that the scent will always trigger this memory; a cute, humorous exchange between you and your daughter
ReplyDeletemoldy...heh
Lovely!
Rene
smirk at the moldy...smiles. love how you pull out the layers of scent in this one...will ave to think about this one a day or two...
ReplyDeleteYour words are scented with captivating sounds and images! Enchanting!
ReplyDeleteMoldy. Isn't that precious? Hilarious! That is a true, adolescent word. I'm certain I used that word too.
ReplyDeleteI am not that well versed in scents Willow but you have a marvelous way of setting the scene with scented language. I could almost imagine some of the odors.
ReplyDeleteYou just keep getting better and better. I can see the scene acting itself out.
ReplyDeleteDeep tryst only a Bulgarian rose might know!!! I've no idea what it means and yet it makes me feel very mellow!
ReplyDeleteOkay, as you can see, I changed "moldy" to "old", since she was getting a merciless beating in the comment section!
ReplyDeleteoh hah! great post...not "stinky" at all! Love it!
ReplyDeleteNever could embrace those womanly, fancy perfumes.
ReplyDeleteI love Happy Heart.
I like how you captured the smelly essence here.
Wonderful how fragrances suit some people and some ages and not others. When I was in my twenties, I wore Chanel No. 22. It would be so wrong for me now.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you used the romantic perfume words!
I'm afraid I don't understand the whole woman/perfume thing. I occasionally take Lady M to a local parfumier; some she rejects at once, others she toys with, but there is always one that is taken home. To me they all are pleasant perfumes. Another example of feminine mystique.
ReplyDeleteDear Willow,
ReplyDeleteWe went the same way this magpie but I do love your post better!
My first ever was - how cliche it must sound - Chanel No 5. Dad bought it and I cherish the memory.
We all have a scent or two that we prefer more than others.
ReplyDeleteLove your choice for a Magpie this week. It got me thinking about how certain scents ignite memories of times gone by. Like baby powder reminds me of my children when they were babies, like Old Spice aftershave reminds me of my first date with my husband when I was 15 years old.
Acqui Di Parma will always remind you of your daughter.
Somehow scent & memory are intrinsically linked. Loved this Magpie.
Wonderful! I like all kinds of fragrances, it just depends on my mood!
ReplyDelete-Check out the link for info on my blogaversary giveaway:
http://rnsane.blogspot.com/2010/09/flash-55-friday-happy-anniversary-to-me.html#links
Love the feelings this poem evokes, as well as the scent-memories/thoughts.
ReplyDeleteAnd makes me want to go perfume shopping!
"She does not like the way it smells. . .it reminds her of me."
ReplyDeleteOh, the cutting of the apron strings just keeps on going, doesn't it?
Daughters never really get away, we just think we do until we realize our Moms are actually the ones who really understand us.
I gave my mom a beautiful perfume once because i thought it was 'too old,' for me too. She loves it. Beautiful piece willow!
i never used it, still can make a idea of it's fragrance from ur poem. lovely work!
ReplyDeleteI have a bottle and it is a cult bottle!
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm glad you changed 'moldy' to 'old'! This is such an evocative, bittersweet poem. It captures those nuances of the mother-daughter relationship beautifully.
ReplyDeleteAcqua di Parma,
ReplyDeleteall the way to Ohio,
I am glad you are smitten
(and would you believe it,
I loved it even when I was your daughter's age).
Your daughter may like Annick Goutal's "Eau d'Hadrien" - "subtle citrusy, lemony: Sicilian lemon - citron tree - cypress - grapefruit" ;-)
ReplyDeleteDid you know it was a unisex fragrance when it first came out, worn by elegant men for preference.
ReplyDeleteI am NOT that old, I looked it up.
Tell pungent tales...oh! I liked that, and deep trysts only a Bulgarian rose might know - sensual. wonderful. I have never smelt the perfume, I took my lead from the "parma" part!
ReplyDeleteInsightful poem wonderfully written!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the perfume suggestion, Merisi, I'll most definitely pass it on! Sounds perfect.
ReplyDeleteDear Willow, If there were to be a perfume to seduce me from my Chanel no. 5 then it might indeed be this one.
ReplyDeleteJust as the best perfumes, your poem today is subtly multi-layered and for me, cleverly captures the mother-daughter struggle for supremacy and that time when, as a daughter, you see your parent as a person as well as your mother.
Later on her daughter may regret her hastiness, not for the perfume, but for the fact that she cannot recall her words.
ReplyDelete(I had to look it up too!)
Willow,
ReplyDeleteInteresting how mothers and daughters know what each other like yet prefer different scents for themselves.
Maybe musky is preferable to moldy ;)
Rel
I so seldom wear the scents of my youth, living alone and in solitude, the wafts of vetiver and patchouli fill this far from youthful aura, my soap making touches me with hints of floral and cast away dreams...it follows me to exotica...
ReplyDeletes
No doubt about it..a scent is a potent stimulant..of both memory and action..thanks for offering this!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous poem and lovely imagery.
ReplyDeleteIf it is good enough for the likes of Audrey Hepburn it'll do for me, I might even buy a bottle.
My stepmother once asked me "what is that awful perfume you are wearing?"...i simply told her it was the one SHE gave me...:-)
ReplyDeleteWillow, i just love this one...you have captured so much beauty and life's generational changes from your bottle of acqua di parma. :-)
I loved the end...you can keep it Mom.
ReplyDeleteWillow, really? I mean come on, who is consistently this amazing. Oh wait... YOU ARE! I loved this. Love and Light, Sender
ReplyDeleteSuch intrigue. Now I'm going to have to go and locate this "acqua di parma" scent. You truly awaken all the senses Willow.
ReplyDeleteoh, I smile so at this.
ReplyDeleteperfect.
I've never heard of Acqua di Parma. I looked on their website and ordered three samples. Sounds like my kind of perfume! Your poem was excellent.
ReplyDeleteWonderful poem, Willow! I feel as if I know how it smells now.
ReplyDeleteThis poem immersed me in thoughts about my own daughter - the love and the distinction of our individuality in our relationship. I must read it again, it seems to delve into areas I must explore.
ReplyDeleteSo funny...and fabulous. People should write more about smells and what they do to us! But, I LOVE Acqua di Parma!! Have wanted some since the 90's.
ReplyDeleteps - we are having wooly sock weather today! Was thinking of your while debating to wear cotton or wool :)
Ah,yes...that mother/daughter dance. I know it well.
ReplyDelete"deep trysts only a Bulgarian rose might know"
ReplyDeleteBeautiful words.
...I like the "moldy" better actually:) it evokes more of a certain scent and image...not necessarily bad...
ReplyDeleteLike the few, very few brave men
ReplyDeletewho have stepped forward,
this poetic moment breathes
in a world, a feminine dimension
that we are not a part of;
makes us feel like maybe we
have lost some of the genteel
qualities of the gentlemen
of yore--yet how intriguing
to find out that like wine
connoisseurs , the ladies,
and some men obviously,
can pick out the ingredients
of perfume, the wood ash,
the fruit, the musk, the
floral bouquet, the garden
residues, the earthiness,
the dripping of lust drops--
and it will make each of
we male animals pay attention
of our olfactory prompts,
and as poets really stop
to smell the /ancient woody
canaga tree/ and sniff deep
the pungent kiss of cedar.
I came along late and missed
out on the "moldy" ,controversy
but in terms of daughters, and
remember I have three of them,
the word "old" comes easily to
their lips. Thanks Friko for stepping
up and adding men to the lovers
of acqua di parma.
I actually prefer 'moldy/musky/dark' scents ... Your Magpie smells delicious.
ReplyDeleteI was so confused about all the moldy comments until I read yours! What's funny is that my mom was White Shoulders & I was the one who liked dark & moldy fragrances. Maybe because she was a strawberry blonde & I am a brunette?
ReplyDeleteAh the fragrance of memories in the making - an insightful poem! I based my fibonacci on the history of sephora - kind of. :) Interesting prompt, to be sure!
ReplyDeleteHi: this reminds me of an elderly lady approaching her 80th birthday who wished she could find a fragrance she wore as a teen. It was Parma Violets. No shop could help her. I found the original stuff (Violetta de Parma) from the Italian company's website and bought her a bottle. She was so happy - and still has a little left after some 7 years later!
ReplyDelete"And so the golden genie
ReplyDeleteromances my brittle oracle"
Daughters can be shits, but who's the winner? It is a great perfume, or was in 1938! (Not what I said on Glenn's reprint.)
I love this weeks prompt and your poem is perfect as always. Scents are so personal. I wonder if you ever read Patrick Suskinds book Perfume? The writing is very rich aromatic!
ReplyDeletePhilip, what a sweet, sweet act of friendship! I love that.
ReplyDeleteDaughters are like that...I remember one friend..who when her mother died wanted nothing more than her mother's clothing so she forever had her scent to remember her....Great write...bkm
ReplyDeleteExtremely lovely writing, willow.
ReplyDeleteI adore perfumes and sharing them with my mom. Though if you'll forgive me, I think your daughter might have been a bit more.. tactful.
ReplyDeleteYour description reminds me of a rather commercial but still woody Donna Karan New York Night - or somesuch title.
well....
ReplyDeletethat was nice.
and lucky that you like it.
xx
I don't have a problem with it at all. After all, she bought the fabulous item for herself and I ended up with it!
ReplyDeleteWell, willow u got a bottle of cologne which u & ur muse luv. That's a gd bargain.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely marvelous....deep trysts only a Bulgarian rose might know... ~ how beautiful to describe a knowledge that comes with maturing.
ReplyDelete(I admit that it will drive me crazy trying to figure out your use of "oracle" at the end.)
A fragrant read, indeed...
ReplyDeleteSmells Like Teenage Spirit!
ReplyDeleteTeenage spirit? Ah, you make me feel so young! Actually, she's 28.
ReplyDeleteWonderful evocations of smells. Sounds like a great cologne :) My Magpie.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many things I like about this. Do you think that our skin really does change as we age -- in terms of the way it wears scent, I mean? Or maybe it's just our tastes that change!
ReplyDeleteExcellently crafted post! =)
ReplyDelete-Weasel
"a little too old for me"
ReplyDeleteOuch!
Very nicely done, Willow, and now I want to taste the smell...
This post shows Willow as a real peep, not just a "Lady of the Manor"
ReplyDeleteand I like it, like it, like it!
Wonderfully sensory and sensual - a surprisingly difficult combination to manage, but beautifully rendered here.
ReplyDeleteThe only tentative suggestion I would make is the possible omission of the last two lines, which might be seen as edging a little close to the 'show, don't tell' requirement.
Thank you, Dick. I like your suggestion. A LOT! I peeled them off and it's a much cleaner ending. :)
ReplyDelete"deep/trysts only a Bulgarian rose might know" is fabulous, rather like the perfume and wearer I imagine!
ReplyDeleteI love how you turned that little gift into a wonderfully crafted poem.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to her dislike of the cologne. I am picky and there are very few that I can tolerate. Nice description of the scent.
ReplyDeletevetiver. I'll need to look that one up. lovely journey of mother and daughter. So true (and i'm not even a mother)!
ReplyDeleteOuch. I can be prickly about my age. I would probably have told her to go play with her toys and I would make her some spaghetti-o's.
ReplyDeleteOn the Magpie page, you wrote that you were expecting some aromatic writing. At first glance, I read it as "automatic" writing. Wouldn't THAT be interesting!
I like all the components of this - both literary and odourous.
ReplyDeleteStart to finish- love it!
ReplyDeleteI like this, especially because throughout the piece you used words related to scent to describe even visual the properties.
ReplyDeleteI would have liked it better though, had you kept the sentences roughly the same length. It interrupted my reading rythm when the centences went from short and simple to longer and more discriptive. Otherwise it was rather good, in my very modest opinion. - PhotoMadPixie
Very nice. Kids can be that way sometimes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting magpie tales together. I have been enjoying the challenges.
Well, honestly m dumbfounded.. You worded so many fragrances i couldn't even start to describing... You are indeed wonderful... I'm getting floored with each of the new magpie of yours i read... As i said earlier as well, you keep raising the bar for yourself and never fail to succeed..
ReplyDelete"Deep trysts only a Bulgarian rose might know."
ReplyDeleteWow...
Nice, Willow. :-)Cool ending.
ReplyDeleteWillow - You have struck chords deep in my senses with this Magpie. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteMine is up.
PG
First of all, I want to thank you for the picture - it was hard to pass and pushed me (finally) to write my first magpie tale! feel free to stop by - your opinion will be highly appreciated!
ReplyDeleteYour poems are fantastic! I have been reading your mapgies for several weeks now.
Cheers!
www.castazero.blogspot.com
Dear Willow: Perfume bottles should come with a warning label: only for the most romantically experienced! How you became the various aromatic extracts was very imaginative. Love how a young lady realizes that this perfume is much too mature for her maturity level; she certainly has a nose for details;
ReplyDelete"then gives way to the riddle of vetiver and cedar, ancient woody cananga tree, deep trysts only a Bulgarian rose might know" HOW EXOTIC! Mature tastes only for sure!good to know mature skin can hold onto scent longer...hopefully in a good way! yES something for me at last! Where to purchase?
I remember this with Estee Lauder Youth Dew!and Shalimar in that Andy Warhol film... Definite VaVaVoom!
Chicc...just mentioned Shalimar. That scent STILL turns me on, and my first experience with it was similar --by Cote: Emeraude. At age 14, and I shall never NEVER EVER forget it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for those long-ago memories. Sorry to use your comments, Willow, but it was "on topic"--grin!
Steveroni, I wore Emeraud all through high school. Loved that stuff. I probably wouldn't like it now.
ReplyDeleteThanks, all, for your extra generous comments. Like I always say, it's SO much fun to share my poetry with you. You're the best.
ReplyDeletelove this poem.
ReplyDelete