This poem is a potion
made from sandalwood and myrrh,
and usual stuff
like attar from a midnight rose,
cinnamon and ambergris,
a touch of thyme and rosemary,
but underneath there is a base note
that’s infinitely deeper,
a vibrant scent not audible,
an oil of essence,
obscure and rare, a spice
of such potent pungency
so venomous
it cannot here be named.
This poem is this potion…
plain and common,
if it wasn’t for that secret last
of the perfume’s heart.
Perfume by M.C. Escher
Amaya want’s us to write poem of “the secret ingredient” at dVerse which lead me to the art of mixing perfumes…
—
December 4, 2018
Björn Rudbergs writings 
…the art of mixing perfumes….and the art of mixing words into poetry 🙂
I think a lot of your poems, the sensual ones, could fall under the perfume that’s been around for a long time in the U.S. called Taboo 🙂
Actually the poet I took a workshop with have written many many poem about perfumes.
Not plain and common at all but rare and essential – the heart of the perfumer. If I didn’t get the secret, at least I love all the scents here Bjorn.
The secret of a perfume is that base note, that you never know… which is the secret really.
Nicely done! I like the underlying hint of something…
The best perfumes has the something you barely detect… the base note it’s called
Not a perfume wearer (an allergy) I missed this – but I like your base note.
That Escher is priceless. The poem is awesome. Great prompt.
I know you will write to this…
I’m afraid to try. The responses so far are way out of my league. Top notch poetry. Right now I’m rolling around in the leaves with my son. He said they’re marshmallows. We’re practicing for Saturday night’s bonfire. 🙂
That sounds like a perfect secret ingredient for happiness.
Aww, yes. Most definitely. ❤
Nice combination of sound and smell: “a vibrant scent not audible”
Some synaesthesia cannot be wrong 🙂
Haste is good every so often. It allows our creativity to thrive uninhibited for once. There’s a cooking show with Bobby Flay who has to go up against another chef who chooses what they’re going to cook (usually his/her own specialty) and then BAM, clock starts with one hour till taste time. So I’m going to say that is what your unnamed is here: you “scribbled” this lovely poem and concocted the perfume with the same abandon of perfection, and it works.
I did get some inspiration from memories of a poetry workshop I attended with Moira Egan… she has written a lot of poems that would fit your prompt.
You left us still wondering about that “base” (play on bass?) and venomous note!
Heady brew(ery) here. And you’re right, the poem is what the secret ingredient does.
Oh this is a rich poem. Full of the amazing scents tht perfumers use. But I am missing the civet, the vetiver, the jasmine and magnolia….but then you are a northern poet! This poem is wonderful.
Jasmine and magnolia. Swoon!
Yes, brother, you are our premier Northern Poet. This such a grand piece; the knowledge of ingredients is dazzling. Good wine tasters can isolate the secret ingredients, many of which are olfactory
I think the heart of the perfume comes from the wearer!!
Ah, that secret last, the hidden base note, so venomous, all make for such a heady feeling here — the scents and mysteries add into the allure. Reading this poem is like taking a whiff of that fragrance and trying to wonder about all that you have missed. Now, I want to go and get some itr.
ah… a delicious delight to the senses. your words leak such a sweet sweet scent, Bjorn!
Oh yes, Björn! Perfumes, potions and secret ingredients blended in a poem! My favourites are sandalwood and amber but I have to be careful what I put on my skin and even what I breathe in. No cheap perfumes for me! 🙂 I love all the different scents in this poem and the hint of the base note is so mysterious. Definitely not ‘plain and common’.
Wonderful potion
Beautiful concoction!
Your poem on prompt
What a creation!!
I am left pondering the audible qualities of a scent. I never thought about it but it’s true, they do have voices don’t they?
I can smell the poem – smells like Passion by Elizabeth Taylor – strong, and musky. It overpowered a young me. But on some other skin, it may be sweet. I guess that’s the secret – the lady and her body chemistry who wears the perfume.
I am late getting round to read. My cardiologist has me on new meds that have making me dizzy, so been difficult reading, sorry!
Bjorn, that venomous mystery ingredient sounds ominous, but magical. Mix a little Eric, Jack, & Ginger “Strange brew, kills what’s inside of you”… 🙂
I like the secret ingredient here–the perfume, the poem. And how there is the base note deep and rare, perhaps even venomous–could be true of all sorts of brews.