In Mourning
What anosmia feels like
Days like today
When the rain is pouring
A sheet of sleet no one can see through.
I’m in mourning, this morning
Over my smell memory.
I dreamt last night that
A deep whiff and there was
The pepper of pepperoni,
The floral fragrance of oranges and peaches and strawberries.
The new green of mint.
I thought I smelled
The deep fat musk of chicken, the earthy grain it ran in
The bright kick of lime, soaked in sun
But all of it is imagining. I cannot
Smell.
It is air, and longing
My tongue tastes sweetness, and salt, and hot Frank’s sauce
But not the flavors that require olfactory nerves, aromas of
Cocoa in chocolate, cinnamon, life
Some people are born with this
Congenital anosmia
I feel like it’s worse knowing what you’ve lost
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