Smell

A woman walked in the elevator where I work the other day.
She smelled like the old fashioned permanent hair chemicals.
That smell always reminds me of teachers from grade school.
This thought swept me away for a moment. I needed that.

On the bus the other day, a man smelled like pipe tobacco.
He was waring a leather jacket that reminded me of New York.
He was an old man who still wore a dress hat while walking around.
He looked happy to be on the bus.

A homeless woman tried to talk to me a while back.
She stunk of garbage and rotten food from a dumpster.
She asked me a question about aliens or something I don't remember.
There was nothing I could have done to help her survive better.

A man in a business suite smelled of sweat and deodorant.
As I walked past him, I could feel the heat coming off him.
We were in an office building, the AC was blowing.
I didn't dare disturb him. I wanted to know his story.

A woman got on the bus with bags from a grocery.
When she sat down near me I could smell apple pie.
When I looked around, every one could smell her bounty.
It was near dinner time for most. Many bellies rumbled.