Gardenias

May 13

I am thankful for gardenias. I like the way these flowers look but I love they way they smell. The flowers are native to tropical and subtropical areas, so they do very well in Louisiana. They are also very prevalent in China and Japan. In my laboratory, I once extracted some gardenia blossoms and made a perfume. Who says chemists can't have fun! I still have that fragrance, which I called Eau de Tulle',  Scent of Summer (OK, I know. I've been told before that I am just a big kid). It still smells really good though, but maybe a little different than it originally did. I suppose I should have put some kind of preservative in it. Back to the drawing board.

Today's photo was taken yesterday in my front yard just after a shower. Today the flowers look pretty wilted and yellow. Oh the difference one day makes. But they still smell great!

perfume

well, you might say

perfume does smell pretty good

but only when used minimally

like the way that it should

do not pour it on

don’t douse yourself

only a touch of it here and there

leave most on the shelf

gardenia

sweet nectar of spring

the scent of the gods

better than almost anything

but here’s a little advice

which to you for free i have lent

don’t use to cover up stench

just use as a tasty accent.

© rt tulley