Listen...
That's me practising
My tap dancing.
The music's Sweet Georgia Brown,
Sometimes in Dixieland
But most often a simple piano solo.
I can't remember who played.
But I do remember
The steps...
And I do remember
The smells.
I tap and tap,
Change combinations
Ad infinitum.
Childhood home
Comes equipped with
Screened porch.
Perfect practice room
Away from television
And reading parents.
I crank up
That music and
Tap with all my might.
Oh, yes
Smells.
I did say "Smells,"
Didn't I?
Hot summer sun is filtered
Through live latticed walls of
Honeysuckle and Jasmine.
Vines are thick with tendrils
Heavy with blossoms of
Unforgettable fragrances.
I tap and tap.
Wipe face
With towel that
Lives 'round neck.
I gulp air filled
With sweetness
Stirred by breezes.
Each gust mixes new
Potion with
Variations on
Nectar's theme.
How can I describe
Smell?
Maybe you've known
Honeysuckle.
Maybe you've known
Jasmine.
have you known them
Together?
Then smell of
Sun and
Dancing dust motes.
They smell of
Joy and movement.
Then smell of
Nature's hopes
And promises.
They smell of
Effort to be better:
Determination.
Quicker and slower.
Shuffles and flaps.
Leaps and turns and kicks.
Black tights.
Gold lamé Cuban heels.
Capezio taps.
They smell of
Sweaty terry cloth.
They smell of
Soft rustlings.
They smell of
Butterflies and
Hummingbirds.
Oh yes,
And bees.
Of course.
They smell of
Rhythms.
They smell of
Memories in my bones.
I'm showing you some of my memories,
Carried here by
Honeysuckle and Jasmine.
Just kick back and drink them in
With me...
While I invite you
To notice
The smells around you...
To remember smells past...
And
To find new ways to enjoy...
And describe
Your smelliest year yet.
Happy New Year!
Bette
Toronto
Dec 2007
(Jasmine and Honeysuckle photos © 2004 fleursfrags)
