Took a long loop
around king’s mountain.
pulled leaves and needles
off shrubs and firs
Crushed them in my hand
to see what scent they held.
Making sure that I could
still smell them.
Because that’s a symptom;
loss of taste and smell.
Not that I was seriously worried,
I had enjoyed my breakfast.
The Douglas fir and Scottish broom
didn’t release much scent,
so that planted a wee seed
that was reliably relieved
by the leaf of a bay laurel
and a pinch of coastal sagebrush;
aromas that summon the summers
of a childhood roaming the hills.
It was a long loop.
By the time we got home,
we were famished, so our prayer
of grace was particularly sincere.
