From inside their socks all laced up in plastic
the smell of your body appears olfactively

bad, from the odour of dimples to the hum of the shins
a repulsive reminder of restaurant bins.

Every pore, every sweat gland, harbours a smell.
If your feet could start talking you might hear them yell

“Clean up your body you’re a walking disgrace
that mustardy ear wax should bring tears to your face.

It’s like cheese left in cling film mixed with soap on a rope.
Get back in that shower or you’ll smell like the bloke

wearing boiled sprout cologne in the middle of summer
with the hint of a Lycra clad long distance runner.

Picture spuds going mouldy or carrots gone soft.
Or learn from your feet and keep it all in your socks.”

3 responses

  1. it’s hard to describe smells – I think we should invent some new words – in Italian they sometimes put an s on the front of a word to make it mean the opposite – let’s say your feet are spristine (?)

  2. spristine’s a great word – it sounds clean!
    for the rhyme maybe ‘olfactive’ rather than the adverb? Great word anyway!
    Another fun poem!

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