“Smelly”
By Mary Margaret Nugent
My new lip-gloss is the old women at church
Giving me a mint from their pockets
My roommate’s hairspray is my mother at family weddings
Ordering a glass of wine
The cough drops in my backpack are my dad coming home from work
Slipping off his tie and hugging me to his shirt
My hair burning under a curling iron is my best friend’s laugh
Us sliding on snow boots up to our calves
Hair Gel is my brother getting ready for school
Grabbing his letterman, thinking he’s cool
Apple cinnamon is my grandmother making her tea
Rubbing my shoulders, comforting me
Winter is the boys I’ve loved
And their tortured pasts
Pumpkin spice is my closest friends
And questions never asked
You
You are different
A species unknown
You
You
You smell like home
