it was mid-morning
when I noticed the reek.
i glanced around cautiously,
wondering what could have
sent up such a stink — and then
i saw my hand, sticky with
yellow sap, and smelling
to high heaven. sickened,
i squirted sanitizer on my hands
in hopes that would take the
stench away, but to no avail.
not even soap and water completely
did the trick; I could sense the smell
even after washing as well as I could.
it was probably evening
when she broke the bottle;
she did it at the dinner table
in full view (and scent) of everyone,
and the most expensive perfume
you could imagine came pouring out
onto a pair of dusty, weary feet.
then she wiped them with her hair
as the rich fragrance filled the room
and the Pharisees and hypocrites
sat open-mouthed, stunned, for a
moment, into silence. then the outcry
came, with cries of “what a waste!”
i wonder how long the scent remained.
