The Nose Doesn’t Lie
The nose doesn’t lie,
except that one week six years ago
I was convinced to the point of disgust:
morning coffee smelled as beef stew,
but it was a blip in the brain,
otherwise known as Covid-induced parosmia.
Caffeine obsession had to stand by my side and swear
I’d taste no meaty broth.
The nose doesn’t lie,
except that one hour twenty years ago
I was convinced to the point of panic:
rubber was melting,
but it was a blip in the brain
otherwise known as a migraine-less aura.
Husband had to stand by my side and swear
he could smell no burning.
The nose doesn’t lie,
even that moment forty years ago
I was convinced at first it couldn’t be true:
the odour of anxiety,
but it was no blip in the brain–
these were my senses unwillingly attune,
husband at my side, he utterly consumed
by a tsunami of terror.
The nose doesn’t lie
across a childhood fifty years ago.
Am since convinced it could be true:
fear had a fragrance.
No blip in the brain,
but the bitter edge, a familiar sore,
one parent absent while present, so utterly consumed
by a lifetime of anguish.
The nose doesn’t lie:
this morning’s coffee grounds
convince me to the point of disgust–
their acidic stale breath
is no blip in the brain,
but the odour of age and oxidization.
Caffeine obsession stands by my side in silence, why can I
only think of Dad?
About the Author: British by birth, Ann van Wijgerden lives in the Netherlands and the Philippines. She’s had nonfiction, poetry and fiction published in magazines such as Orion, Orbis, The Sunlight Press, The Wild Umbrella, the Queen’s Quarterly, as well as with Yellow Arrow Publishing, and was a 2025 Best of the Net nominee. Her debut poetry collection ‘Dear Planet’ was published by Fidessa Literary in July 2025. Ann co-founded and works for an NGO called Young Focus www.youngfocus.org, in Manila.
Image Credit: Richard Sanger Smith: “Mouth and nose study, no. 3” (1840) Public domain image courtesy of Artvee
