No Friends

i was born

without a sense of smell.

the aromas that

the other children danced with

were ones i never got to meet.

there was no telltale sign

of past rain.

there was no birthday morning

with the smell of bacon.

i never got to befriend

the candles my mom put out

at parties

or meet up with

the smell of my dad

cooking pancakes.

i never made friends with the smells in my life

because i never even knew they were there.

i watch people laugh as

they recall their childhoods

with just a twitch of the nose.

some people say smells are like

old friends,

forever keeping you company

and reminding of good times.

if that's true,

then i have no friends.

but it's never bothered me

because i never had any

to begin with,

and maybe i'm better

on my own.

after all,

maybe i won't have friends to laugh with

to play with,

to love with.

but i also won't have poisoned friends,

bad smells, bad memories, full of

toxic waste and

fire-tinted nostrils.

i had no choice

in the way that i am.

i guess my very essence

repels those who might wish

to befriend me.

if smells were friends, then

i'd have none.

but at least i don't have

any enemies.