Cinderella's Story

how it was, according to Cinderella--the power of scent

Cinderella's Tale

Before the ball, I spritzed him
with an aroma of arctic moonlight,
a pale flash of sweet scent,
jasmine, rose and summer lavender.

It struck his neo-cortex
like a glamour bomb
exploding into picturesque, oneiric scenes
of unmitigated domestic bliss.

In the cold morning ashes
the odor lingered on his skin.

He came sniffing later that day
on the pretext of a missing shoe.

The slipper fit reasonably well.


Trying to erase the vile musk
of blood and greed
rising from Mother and my sisters
he touched his nose
to my neck, inhaled deeply.

We lived happily,
ever after.



Author's note: Written for a list of prompt words: sweet, flash, strike, pale, touch, aroma, picturesque, vile.

I'd been wanting to write a poem with a fairy-tale motif, and an excuse to use the words arctic moonlight and oneiric.