Photograph by Author SAM 2014 — a real poppy

100 words

The Un-Scent of Perfume

Thrifty Words 100 Challenge #81: Loss

‘What’s in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet.’
— Romeo and Juliet — Act-II, Scene-II — William Shakespeare

a fabricated rose without a fragrance
nev’r smells quite so sweet does it —

from an unwatered vase wherein
fake blossoms bloom — the air fills
with a fantasy of perfume
to stem the flow
of a lingering odour.

one misplaced carnation’s
cherished remembrance.

but even unreal petals fall when plucked:
to love-me-then and love-me-not
each truth confetti-ing
with a reality to reveal an unframed
face traced in shameful nakedness.

longevity does not lessen loss
even for scentless flowers
replacing the youthful…