Smell is the most evocative sense. It seems we have no control over this. Our olfactory neurons link to those parts of the brain associated with memory and emotion. Perhaps, on an average day, it makes no difference. After all, in a world of familiar scents there would be no surprises. We do our best to control our home environment, but the outside world defies management. Something as simple as a walk in the country can provide an unexpected jolt. Wood garlic, cherry blossom, horse manure, the coconut scent of gorse. There’s no knowing what trapdoors they might open to the past.

Cycling uphill in the summer heat. Breathing heavily. My nose wrinkled as I came to a bend in the lane. Instantly, I was back on another journey in another continent. A hot and dusty day. Acrid smoke drifting across from the roadside.

putrichor ... 
the donkey’s bloated body 
like a stranded sea mine 

Bio: David J Kelly