in

The Scent of Paper: A Poem by Rajshree Rathore

The crisp whiteness of a sheet gladly receiving the pen,
Invoking multifarious aromas: nostalgic, joyous, collaborative,
A vital ornament of a poet: that scent of the paper,
An aphorism she revels in quite frequently,
The words dance with aliveness: purging the poetic mind.

The scent of a paper: an emotional mother clinging to the letter,
The soldier at the border pours his heart out,
When he will come: his favorite dish to be made,
He would make a ‘teak wood’ chair for his father,
A befitting tribute: the sobbing eyes as the brave heart is no more.

The scent of a paper adorns the numerous romantic canvases,
Those love letters bespoke with dried rose petals,
That bring the lovers to meet: a candid rendezvous much valued,
That scent that protects them from the cacophony of society,
That paper ‘a biographer’: inking their romantic saga.

The scent of a paper: the first appointment letter,
The youth walks with a humbling yet a confident stride,
His countenance resonating joy, aspirations, some untold promises,
Inside the temple the sacred texts, the incense sticks , chandan: omniscient,
The paper holding various phraseologies: you choose the scent and it evokes!