Punks

Remember punks? That luscious smell
Brings back my childhood days
Of country summers, where I'd dwell
In youth's more simple ways.

We didn't have TV or phone
Or internet or Kindle;
Yet time was precious, all our own - 
We couldn't see it dwindle.

On sultry nights, we'd strike a match
To set our punks aflame,
Then blow until our nose would snatch
The scent that slowly came.

The wisps would rise and we'd inhale
That sweet and smoky flavor;
And every time, we'd  never fail
To deeply sniff and savor.

The purpose of a punk, I think,
Was keeping bugs away.
That yummy smell to bugs must stink - 
At least that's what they'd say.

I don't remember if it worked - 
It didn't really matter - 
But we believed that power lurked
And so the bugs would scatter.

The other day I found a punk
And set its tip to burning;
Before I knew it, i was sunk,
My summer youth returning.

Amazing how a certain scent
Can cause a reconnection
With years that long ago we spent
And think of with affection.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2012

Poem

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Bickerstaffe Avatar
July 3, 2012 at 4:03 PM
Smells are the most evocative of our sense, I think. I was pleasantly surprised by this particular title and its meaning because I thought it might be about hoodlums... then I considered the source, and again I'm flabbergasted by your talent to evoke emotions that make me smile... I feel honoured to be in your presence. :)))
Dietrich Avatar
July 3, 2012 at 6:26 AM
Someone commented below me and mentioned sticks like incense? Is that what they were?
Dietrich Avatar
July 3, 2012 at 6:25 AM
I didn't know what the punks were until I got halfway thru this. I have a vague feeling what it might be. Just a strip of something to kill bugs? I think we never used them!!
Pettit Avatar
July 2, 2012 at 2:15 AM
I remember those things. They were like incense on a stick. I haven't seen them or heard about them in years. Thanks for the nostalgia.
Williams Avatar
July 1, 2012 at 1:54 PM
Ilene, sorry but I don't know what a punk is apart from the groups, like the poem though..David
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