Fragrant memories

I read in medical school that olfaction

Is associated with memory and emotion

More so than the other senses four-

I have understood this fact more and more

Having left my home and moved away

Olfactory memories have been there to stay-

 

Each time I prepare spiced chai in my kitchen

My nose-brain connection creates the heaven

Of my childhood, sends me back in time instantly

To the place where an integral part of life was tea..

The act of sifting through Indian spices aromatic

Of smelling them on my hands, makes me ecstatic

The fragrance of frying in butter clarified*

Evokes emotions complex that cannot be described

Each time I try in my kitchen a traditional recipe

My limbic system goes into overdrive, you see

 

And I am suffused with the warmth of longing and love

Who knew the best memories were made around a stove?