Your Armpits Smell Like Heaven
But your breath could melt a glacier at three
miles, she says, and then we might consider
the dirt under your nails, the way you slur
your sibilants, and how you seldom see
the cracked eggs in a carton, a downed tree
branch in front of you, the ripened blister
of paint in the bedroom, or your sister
lying drunk on the floor in her own pee.
Back to your armpits. Do you realize
we could bottle that aroma and make
a fortune? I inhale it and forgive
your many faults. The odor provokes sighs
and tingles, blushes I could never fake.
Ain’t love grand? Elevate those arms. Let’s live!
I thought it was time to post something for fun, a poem that might elicit a few chuckles. Note that this is in the Petrarchan sonnet form (or should I say Pitrarchan). Thanks Plain Jane!
Never in my wildest dreams did I envision writing a poem about armpits. But the August 2015 Tupelo Press 30-30 challenge/fund raiser, and Plain Jane, the title sponsor, provided that opportunity. This first appeared here in April 2016, and was subsequently published in Algebra of Owls. Many thanks to editor Paul Vaughan for taking it.
O at the Edges 
Love it! Question – do you publish all your poems here and then submit them to mags, etc? They don’t mind they’ve been live here first?
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Thank you. No. I generally post poems that have been published somewhere. Most publications want unpublished pieces, and they consider posts on blogs or social media to be published.
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Such fun
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Thanks, Derrick. It was much fun to write!
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This is the third humorous post I’ve read today. I think we are all ready for some comic relief! Perfect, thanks. (K)
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I certainly can use a good laugh!
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Brilliant! Love conversations are the best because they are silly and sweet!
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Thanks, Susi. The sillier, the better, as long as they’re sincere.
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You’re welcome, dear. Exactly! When the most fun is had, brilliant! 🙂
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Ah, an honest sonnet! You could trade off verses with Willy Shakes and his Sonnet 130 “And in some perfumes is there more delight/Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.”
Enjoyed this one.
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Willy had quite the sense of humor!
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