Fresh cut wood mingling with greasy pizza
Cardboard boxes, sawdust, drying paint, the whir of a drill, sparks from the wall facing the electrician, the crash of hammers, splintered glass, Daddy’s big hands, Mummy’s scrutiny
Coffee
The hours before sunrise, a surge of excitement, a piping hot shower, the call of birds, Mom’s fingers wrapped around a steaming mug, first light touching the forest treetops
Jasmine masking a tang of stale pills
Warm hugs, cookies before dinner, sporadic kisses, spoonfed icecream for breakfast, princesses and sorcerers before bedtime, wisps of gray, the creak of a swing’s chain against its frame, and flight
Sandalwood
Flimsy plastic mug plunging into a bucket of lukewarm water, the shriek of little children, light twinkling off of a bed littered with open jewelry boxes, the brush of flowers swaying from the ceiling
Burnt pepper fused with nutmeg
Fireworks in the sky, hands directing dancing flame, sequined new dresses unfolding from the suitcase, anklets strung with bells, phones clamoring with eager voices from across the world
Cinnamon smothered in cream cheese
Morning alarm ringing, sunshine, the honk of a bus, dewdrops studding the driveway, mismatched socks, a flying hairbrush, adrenaline, new binders, and a straight back
Nail Polish
Flipflops, reunions and laughter, a new haircut, procrastination, frantic shuffling, nods in the fresh-scrubbed hallway, a stack of library books, a single amber leaf spiralling down
Saffron
Home bustling with my vibrantly clothed family, glowing lanterns lining every window and door, lips sticky with the taste of sweets, hands gilded with whorls of henna, and soft voices raised in hymn
Melting sugar, wax... and roses
Smears of black makeup, shadows of a velvet cloak, traipsing down deserted streets under the moonlight, a wild game of manhunt at midnight, discarded candy-wrappers rustling in the wind… and the front door squeaking on its hinges as I steal back into the house
Chocolate
Season’s first snowflake drifting to the ground, a brisk wind carrying the jingles of bells, knotting green satin around carefully wrapped boxes, ornaments glinting on shop windows
Peppermint bark immersed in warm milk
Encased in a fluffy fleece blanket in bed, my family curled up on the livingroom couch, the wind howling outside, blowing about our fourth foot of snow, a newly released novel tucked in the crook of my elbow
Pine
Ground damp with the last of the melted ice, a squeaky wheelbarrow filled with twigs, hauling fallen branches to the nearby woods wearing Dad’s oversized leather shoes, the first draft of warm wind
Coconut and shea butter, with a zing of lavender
“You are not leaving the house in that. Go. Change.”
Shorts, skirts, dresses, burying heavy jackets and tossing boots in the shed, a sun that finally rises before I do, music and light, newfound bursts of energy, and the school day countdown!
Carwash soap
A bucket of suds sloshing, soapy sponges plunking on pollen encrusted windshields, scampering barefoot around a wet parking lot, patrolling the town screaming, and endless conversation behind a loud sign
Petrichor
Heavy drops of rain thudding down, the rumble of thunder, the gusts of balmy wind, lush emerald grass underfoot, the beat of loud music and the splash of puddles as I leap in, lively, light and unguarded
Swirls of strawberry froyo topped with chocolate
Sweltering, sweat beading, fingers cramped, writing our 6th page for the 4th exam in two days, the weightlessness that courses in once we submit, then strutting away from the stress for icy treats
A cloud of sunscreen and bugspray
Freedom.