The Wisdom of Scent
By John Herlihy

The lofty scent wafted heavenward,
. . . as though on uplifted wings;
The heavenly odor returning homeward,
. . . as its essence freely sings;
Cascades of flowers appear stalwart,
. . . inviting comments their pungent smell brings;
The infant buds reach forward,
. . . responding to the mystical light that from the dawn springs.

All the wondrous perfumes of the earth,
. . . emanate from the portal of God’s divine nose;
Just as all the rainbows of earth’s summer storms,
. . . shine the color spectrum from God’s divine eyes.
All the magnificent sounds heard within Nature’s calling,
. . . echo the rhythms and melodies of the celestial choir;
Just as all the culinary taste experiences of the world,
. . . prefigure the conscious awakening that our hearts desire.

Spirits have been known to emanate a distinctive scent,
. . . a cool wind has been known to denote where ghosts went;
Even spirits both living and beyond the grave,
. . . have taken up residence within scent to impersonate a knave.
The patriarch Jacob suffered greatly when he heard of son Joseph’s demise,
. . . but knew his son to be alive from the scent of his shirt in disguise;
The black stone of Makkah is reported to have fallen down from celestial skies,
. . . whose heavenly scent bedazzles the nose with their heavenly highs.

The wisdom of scent inevitably tells us something of our world,
. . . that we would not otherwise come to know;
The smell of musk speaks of the earth and wild deer in the Siberian wood,
. . . while eucalyptus denotes freshness found within winter snow.
Peppermint reminds us of the exquisite, curative quality of mint,
. . . and represents a cross between watermint and spearmint;
Camphor is known for its medicinal and ceremonial properties,
. . . while the florals are universally known for their beatific qualities.

The wisdom of scent has informed humanity down through history,
. . . of the olfactory experiences that await us on the other side of reality.
The exquisite beauty of the rose lies in the intoxicating quality of its smell,
. . . that infiltrates the inner sanctum of the mind with the clarity of a bell.
Incense has been known to elevate the mind clear to the Heavenly gates,
. . . its calligraphic smoke rising into the nose to recall the Paradise that awaits.
All the perfumes of the angelic hosts within range in the heavens high above,
. . . cannot match the range and diversity of the wisdom of scent here below.