smelled of sweat, raw sex & toilet water
cheaper than musk oil or French perfume
the perfect combination of glandular
action & wish fulfillment blended
into a singular bouquet that lingered
like a nasal ear worm—impossible to lose--
filled disquieting dreams with a haunting odor
that permeated nighttime’s veil & slumbering retreats.
particularly daylight hours, where it followed dawn
employment like a wet mangy dog, wafting
though Amazon workhouses, soup kitchens,
& religious sanctuaries where alternative misfits
sat lockstep in pews, shared collective social alienation,
mainstreamed flannel shirts & ripped jeans, sang in choirs
to dirty guitars, honored Neil Young—the godfather of grunge.