When he asked about my childhood
I knew not where to start.
The scents began to flood my head
while strangling my heart.
My mind has instant recall
on those certain horrid scents.
Like overflowing ashtrays
in a car with blowing vents.
The smell of all night parties
mixed with the scent of a strangers love.
The sour stench of sweat and tears
it's hard to rise above.
The pungent smell of beer breath
in a young girls sleeping face.
The memories of childhood
are not so easily erased.
Some things are burnt in memory
no matter how we fight.
He quietly put a scented candle
on the table in plain sight