If it Don't Smell Like Roses

(i don't suppose I'm gonna like it)

as a young child

i couldn't stand that stink

of fish steaming on the

back burner for our

cats dinner

neither did i approve of

plasticine for similar

reasons, as sickly sweet

aroma lingered on fingers

to make me feel sick

so when miss zycker

instructed the class to be

creative my hands found

themselves deep in my

school dress pockets

where they refused to leave

i would not be moved

not tempted by birds nests

and eggs or slithery snakes

or the pummelling and rolling

of different colours

i stayed stubborn to the end

contrary me when it comes

to smell how about you?

and him indoors has just

opened a can of sardines

can you hear me scream?

Reviews

[Lorry]

Ha! Boiled cabbage does it to me, and touching butter or mayonaise, or oh, I'll need to make a list and give a copy to my therapist.
Remember Take Hart? That childhood show must have gave you nightmares when Morph appeared. While we were all laughing and smiling, your Mum would have been trying to peel you off the ceiling with a mop handle 😀
Ahh, poor Chris... But, too funny 😀

[Chris Shaw]

I think we should start a club. Boiled cabbage is another one that makes me wretch. Thanks for the heads up. Trying to push mayonnaise down the plug hole is nothing short of orrible. Yes I do remember Tony Hart and morph :)
I'll probably recall a few more but I'm just about to drop off. Many thank yous Lorry.

Chris

[Wild Rose]

worst is to enter a pub tap after it has been close overnight
or any public vehicle where they allow(ed) smoking

I used to like plasticine smell, but not the sticky mess on my hands
Like the smell of newmown grass

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Wild Rose. Of course anything smokey, goes without saying. Thank goodness smoking has been banned from pubs.Lije you thecsnell of new mown grass is something to savour. Thanking you for your visit.

Chris

[Helen Crutchett]

I can so relate to you recollection of "smells"! I too. have pet hates of the various smells of childhood... squashed up banana for one, in my little brown nursery school satchel. I wince nearly every time I smell a rotten banana now, because it brings back the terrible time I had there!

Enjoyed this!

~ Helena ~

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Helena. Isn't it strange how those childhood smells have a habit of lingering forever? Really appreciate your visit.

Chris

[Helen Crutchett]

You are so welcome Chris!

~ Helena ~

[Jimmy Yetts]

Smelled more than my share of boiled cabbage in the halls of Irish-American newspaper subscribers
to whom I delivered, as a kid. Seemed to seep into neighborhood wallpaper. Yet, today, I enjoy all kinds of cabbage dishes.
Do, however, find the scent of raw sewage rather, a bit, off-putting.
Amusing work, finicky poetess!

[Chris Shaw]

Love that word finicky. When it comes to smells Jimmy, then yes i am. I knows what my nose likes :)) Many thank yous for the visit.

Chris

[Samuel Dickens]

Woe to us who're born with super sniffers! Like Lorry, my mother's boiling cabbage was none too pleasant a smell. And your steaming fish--yuck! While all the stinky things cause olfactory overload, the sweeter smells of summer rain and flowers blooming may provide some balance, I think. (I hope) Here's hoping neither of us will pass by any hog farms.

[Chris Shaw]

I can smell something nasty from fifty yards away Sam. Have a very sensitive sense of smell. Hate the odours left in the house from cooking. Keep the kitchen door, windows and air freshener busy. Yes, boiled cabbage is another one of those no nos. Thank you for checking this one out.

Chris

[Betty Hermelee]

Nice comment on the stinky smelly food you can't stand; I'm with you on some of them. I too was a stubborn little girl and no one could make me do or eat anything I didn't want!!! Very nice little poem
Chris.
P.S. I used to hide my spinach under other food!!

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Betty. You know I tried that trick too, but with Brussels sprouts. Hope you are keeping well.

Chris

[Lale]

I can't stand eggs being cooked.. I add too much lemon or vinegar or garlic to lower the stinky smell. Uncooked chicken too.. My god..

[Chris Shaw]

oh yes Lale I'd forgotten how rotten the smell of eggs can be at times. Thank you for calling on this little piece of nostalgic nonsense.

Chris

[Ruth]

Oh I so relate lol As a kid and even now I can't stand the smell of liver cooking, or eggs being prepared, there are a few things actually so I do understand this poem, clever, loved it Chris :)

[Chris Shaw]

Thanks Ruth, yes another poet mentioned eggs, and come to think of it I understand why. Many thanks for humouring me with this little piece of nostalgic nonsense.

Chris

[Dave Brown]

you are not old enough yet, in a while, you won't be able to smell a thing (or hear)

[Chris Shaw]

Ha, the joys of old age Dave. Just waiting to pounce round the corner. Thank you for the heads up.read moreHa, the joys of old age Dave. Just waiting to pounce round the corner. Thank you for the heads up.

Chris

[R.E. Ray]

Chris, first a much needed lighthearted poem and a well crafted one. My list is longer. But, I must say the top of the list is cigarette smoke, and butts and ashes left in closed room. I refuse to enter. Second would be the odor of cats. Yes, I can smell their urine at 25 yards. I'm a bit of a clean-freak. I think my favorite odor (other than steak on the grill) is pine cleanser in the house, maybe a pumpkin candle. I'll take the roses, too, but I can't usually can't smell them over the stinky things. See what happens when you post poems like this? :)

[Chris Shaw]

Ha, thank you Robert. Yes all things cigarettes are a real turn off too, and of course cat pee is another.Your pine cleaner and pumpkin candle sound like a fragrant heaven by comparison. Thank you for responding to this piece of nonsense.

Chris

[R.E. Ray]

You’re welcome, Chris. It was a fun read.