The scent of a poem can drive me to distraction,
like spores from a page of mildewed putrefaction,
accumulated fluff and dust from under the bed,
or the grey and blue mould on a slice of old bread;
sometimes it’s cherry blossom dancing in trees,
an explosion of honeysuckle on a summer breeze,
a meadow of wildflowers or freshly mown hay,
a stranger’s steaming overcoat on a rainy day.
It could be the lather on my granddad’s shaving brush,
the lipstick on a bed-time kiss or my mothers’ “Hush!”
the just-bathed drowsiness of my grandson’s embrace
of the buttery toast crumbs on his good-morning face:
poetichor drifts, ghostlike, from line to line,
a multitude of odours fading over time.
Kim M. Russell, 26th July 2020
A Sunday sonnet
writing in north norfolk 
wonderfully rendered
xo
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Thank you, Nick.
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Oh, the scent of a poem! Thank you for sharing these wonderful words with Easter Sonnet Sunday Kim 🙏
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An Easter present from em to you!
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I love this poem, all the odours and scents, the wonderful, sweet and those we rather do without… just like a poem
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Thank you, Björn.
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This is absolutely stunning! I especially love; “an explosion of honeysuckle on a summer breeze,”.. 😍😍
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Thank you so much, Sanaa. 😉
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Kim, the title is fabulous and a brilliant concept, which you laid out with great skill. Sorry I missed it the first time through.
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Thanks Lisa. I might have to give some more old poems an airing while I get back into the swing of things.
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You’re very welcome and good idea.
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The scent of a poem – oh you have outdone yourself here. Absolutely stunning how well-crafted this was.
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Your comment has made me blush. Thank you so much!
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An amazing array of scents in a sonnet form, Kim. Love the creative title, and that first opening line, the scent of the poem.
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Thank you, Grace!
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Both pieces are grabbers, Kim, but this sonnet is friggin mind-blowingly good!
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I’m delighted it blew your mind, Ron!
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Whoa! This was so good that I’ve saved it for future reading also. I’m just totally fascinated by your sonnet.
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Thank you so much, Jay!
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I love that last rhyming couplet. And I love the concept of poetic inspiration being a scent that, as writers, we latch onto like dogs. Great work!
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Thank you so much, Jo!
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What a vatic equivalent, poetichor. Poetry as the faint resonance of the living world. I loved how you give example after example of impactful scent in lines which flow and rhyme in remembrance. The poem is the deed, an eloquence of abundance. Perfect for the challenge.
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Love these too😊
Pat
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Thank you, Pat!
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Absolutely charming poem.
Much💖love
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Thank you, Gillena. Much love on its way back to you.
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So so beautiful!!
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Thank you, Mary!
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Hard to pick one, isn’t it?
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Your sonnet is gorgeous, gorgeous.
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Thank you, Helen!
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Such a gorgeous, gorgeous verse! Absolutely love it, Kim.
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Thank you, Punam!
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My pleasure.
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