Words My Mother Didn’t Know
Starting with the obvious:
iPad, cell phone, cannabis,
Mitochondrial DNA—
but science changes every day—
sushi, pad thai, jasmine rice,
almost any kind of spice,
zipline, snowboard, kayaking,
tongue or belly-button ring.
Then, things she’d heard of, so she knew,
but not imagined one could do:
Go to Iceland, make French bread,
care what anybody said,
watch a sunrise, touch a bug,
want to give your child a hug.
Scents of Humor
We all know sight gags—falling down,
slipping on banana peels.
There’s such a thing as funny sounds—
farting noises, piggy squeals.
But who can name the scents of humor?
What gives your “funny nose” a tickle?
The late-night show’s stand-up perfumer?
Candles with a whiff of pickle?
It’s okay, turn up your nose,
I’m not a “scents of humor” zealot.
All I can say is, I suppose,
you will know it when you smell it.