Daddy smelled of Old Spice and cigarette smoke

And sometimes grease and solvent

If he’d been working on the car

Mama smelled kinda like Old Spice, too

Does anyone else remember Tussy cream deodorant?

I guess it was the smell of cloves they had in common

And there was always Listerine on the bathroom counter

A giant glass bottle, back before plastic took over

I’m sure we all smelled of cigarette smoke

We just didn’t realize it because everything else did, too

Our hair, our clothes, the furniture, the car

Probably even the dog, except he rarely got a bath, so he also just smelt of dog

So Old Spice, WD-40, Tussy, Listerine,  and dog

And cigarettes

Are the only smells from childhood I can fully recall

 

(Day 8 of OctPoWriMo; main prompt: scent; suggested form: free verse or sonnet)