Odours, …

Odours full of memories
tinctures of days gone by,
as you inhale the scents
close your eyes and fly
right back in time
to the memory held,
let your mind flow,
let your happiness meld.
Inhale again, lock on to a scene you recall,
entranced by the seashore, the circling gulls call ,
or tramping through the wood, walking a forest floor
hearing brittle twigs snap, once, twice, thrice, more.
Suddenly seeking a known figure, surely just there?
no, just sadly mistaken, howe’er long you stare.
‘Tis bitter sweet knowledge you finally learn
you cannot go back, you cannot return.

Penn…2023