Spotlight: I Remember the Smells
[poetry]
I remember the smell
of rusty handlebars,
of rotten onions,
smoke,
garlic meatballs,
stale fried fish,
and clogged toilets.
The local train smelled of skin
of man and animal,
of cheap tobacco
and unwashed clothes,
the smell of poverty
and cold.
The peasants carried raffia sacks
stuffed with bread,
food for chickens, and pigs.
Snow blew through the broken windows
and piled in the hallway.
The car doors opened
and slammed
at every turn.
The conductor checked the tickets
with a flashlight.
Next stop,
home.
