The smell of her lover
remained in the bathroom
long after he had gone
Lavender or cologne
purely masculine
Musk may be
Soap or aftershave
Lingering over the final good bye.
Her purely feminine
pink tiled bathroom
invaded, pervaded
by his smell—
With heavy heart
deserted, deprived,
feeling used, used up
she sets to clean out
all traces of love all signs of betrayal.
She scrubs the tiles
the marble floor
rubs out images
from ebony framed mirror
The soap dish emptied
sits like a lone heart
on the rim of the pink wash basin.
The extra large,
too rough towel
dries quickly in the hot sun
She clears him out
with frenzied energy
and exhausted
closes the door with finalty
leaving the bathroom
to dry on its own.
Hours later
she opens it again
and the smell
overpowers her.
Her eyes are dried out
just like the clean bathroom floor.
The pink and white bathroom
gleams in all feminine glory
But the invasive smell remains.
She realizes – too late –
it is in her.
the lavender, cologne,
the musk,
the combined masculine aroma
is inside herself.
Changing her
in ways elusive
No longer just a woman
bust something more
or may be less.
Contributor:
SULOCHANA RAMMOHAN. Promising short story writer and poet. has published critical studies of the stories of Chandramathi and Ashitha.
