Olores

OLORES

I want to be a smell manufacturer
So that people will have something
Different to give on birthdays,
At baptisms, at weddings
Or on holidays.
I want to sell a jar that contains
Extract of white chalk,
Mixed with a pinch
Of recently sharpened pencil
For those that miss childhood.
For the trapped I will have
Gasoline eau de toilette,
Subtly mixed
With a touch of bitter beer.
For the sad people, a smell of popcorn
And chocolate with churros.
For the exiled in cities,
Extract of garlic stew and soup.
For the elderly a soft balm
With an aroma of newborn.
And for those who experience
The same smell, the same flavor,
The same form,
I’ll give them an empty jar,
Like their life.

--Sonia San Román Olmos. Translated by Jordan Milan.