Barometric Pressure

Let’s workshop this poem about the loud but unspoken codes of masculinity and the mothers who learn to translate love into silence so their sons—and, by extension, the codes—can live another day.

scent of the day: Kyara Koko, by Ensar Oud

This is only my first wear

spiced-fermented-cheesey oud plus musky-indolic-animalic incense in a way I did not expect from Ensar—it is like Ensar’s nod to Prin. / While not as funky I get a similar oudy funk to what I get in Arsalan / Kyara Koko brings not only more citrus greenery (clementine, lime) but even a mint edge—which makes sense since—whereas in Arsalan there are various spices (especially cumin) and the cheese is really ramped up / Although both have creamy florals and creamy woods (sandalwood), Kyara Koko’s vanilla-custard frangiapani works with the sandalwood and iris to make a creamier concoction whereas Arsalan’s fermented-apricot champaca reinforces the strength of the rot impression made queasier by the buttery sandalwood. / Although both have a metallic sparkle of aldehydic florality, Ensar’s rose-jasmine-iris combo is still not as diffusive—even with the kashmiri musk—as Prin’s jasmine-gardenia combo (which I imagine is boosted by synthetics). / I have two lists in my head, the ranking of objectively best and persons best, and on the former this Ensar is higher than the Prin whereas on the latter the Prin is higher than the Ensar (and at the bottle of both lists, of course, is Malle’s Promise lol).

Barometric Pressure

Too many mothers here
holster affection, knowing
a mere hallway hug—to say

nothing of a curbside kiss
that, in a saner world, 
would become armor—might

mark their boy softer
than the block—envious, under
the hoods—will tolerate.