Courbet, Gustave . Portrait of Jo, The Beautiful Irish Girl . 1865 |
Aromatherapy
I’d braid my hair so it would trail my spine. I’d entwine russian sage and peppermint to make it thick with herb and brush, combine the smells and take them to my bed. The scent would wait for me to sleep, acquaint my bedsheets, marry musky secrets meant to tell. It’d wrestle with my psyche, paint a dream too vivid to remember, make it swear to always tell. The voice, too faint to recollect, awakened me to break the spell and smell the sage. The herbal fold of scent inspired my mind to quickly take control. My blacks and blues are turning gold, the ones kept bruised by secrets never told. ©2002 Peggy Putnam Owen |