goodbye

goodbye smells musty, like old clothes
untouched in the back of the wardrobe;

dusty, like words on a scrap of newspaper
that flutter from an opened book.

goodbye smells like an old man who smokes
and ate garlic last night, and the night before;

warm, like tarmac in the middle of town
in summer, after a shower has passed.

goodbye smells like coffee newly brewing
somewhere nearby, for someone else;

like the kerosene taste in my throat
in the airport departure lounge.

it smells like your sweater, grabbed in error;
instantly you are around me. my eyes break.

- Just Mercedes