Essence by Robert Beveridge

“Roulé dans tes senteurs, belle terre tourneuse...”--Jules Supervielle, “La Sphère”

It is with you, and since

I have begun smoking again,

the world is full of smells.

Lavender along the office road

heralds June, thrusts arched swords

of flowers overhead. The lake

where we sit embraced smells fresh

the air cleared by summer rain.

Sandalwood and jasmine in your hair

as it falls across my eyes

when you bend down to kiss me, the bite

of chardonnay beneath your breath

sharp on your tongue, and then on mine.

My nose, asleep all these years

approves and asks for more.

Robert Beveridge makes noise (xterminal.bandcamp.com) and writes poetry just outside Cleveland, OH. Recent/upcoming appearances in Survision, Loud Zoo, and Ghostlight, among others.