My mother's scent was hers alone
familiar from the start just like my own.
Shalimar and lipstick
salt air and steam irons
beige powder dusting her dressing table,
scattered sweaters, a turquoise negligee.
Once, invited to the Waldorf
for a DuPont dinner,
she spent a fortune on a formal dress.
Arrived in lace and pick satin
to face women clad in cocktail clothes.
Edna, ever the Indiana girl.
How many Manhattans did it take to kill
those feelings?
After her death,
I asked Sister Jose Hobday
“Will I ever smell that scent again -
touch her soft white hair?”
So much of me left with her
I am my mother’s child.
Peaceful in all worlds,
Sister Hobday laid
her hand on mine
and smiled.
A WELL TRAVELED HEART 