KJ Carter (Kathy Jo) is a nurse educator, musician, and writer from Central Indiana. She is also a member of the Indiana State Poetry Association and Last Stanza Poets. Previous works were published in the July issue of IVJ and in the Poets of Madison County Anthology. She credits her family and pets as her “Muse”’
The Sacred Fragrance
There was a scent, a fragrance
That invaded my young nose each year
When I got to open the storage box and
Grace the tree with our ornaments
50 years later only one ornament remains
Boxed with my own collection of memories
And still, there was a hint as I lifted the lid
Or was I wishing it to be there
Not so long ago
In a special shop not far from home
There were lotion samples to try
One called me and I was transported
Back to that ornament box
Fragrance bold and fresh
I was a child again with parents
Whispering to guide my hand
Oh yes, I bought that lotion
Made for only one season
Not for bodily adornment
But to keep the memory alive
Ornaments return to rest another year
But now with a festive cloth and
A touch of lotion to nestle them
That special scent, a gift preserved
©KJ Carter
The Sacred Fragrance
There was a scent, a fragrance
That invaded my young nose each year
When I got to open the storage box and
Grace the tree with our ornaments
50 years later only one ornament remains
Boxed with my own collection of memories
And still, there was a hint as I lifted the lid
Or was I wishing it to be there
Not so long ago
In a special shop not far from home
There were lotion samples to try
One called me and I was transported
Back to that ornament box
Fragrance bold and fresh
I was a child again with parents
Whispering to guide my hand
Oh yes, I bought that lotion
Made for only one season
Not for bodily adornment
But to keep the memory alive
Ornaments return to rest another year
But now with a festive cloth and
A touch of lotion to nestle them
That special scent, a gift preserved
©KJ Carter
