Winter
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Christmas Carols ringing in my ears.
The fug of the snug
Stench of sweat and old men.
Scent of Old Spice wafts across the bar
And the unmistakable
Aroma of clan pipe tobacco
Lingers in the air.
©Alison Jean Hankinson
This is for d’Verse quadrille.
The photo is actually of my Dad’s dad, (My Grandad).
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Hues of Hankinson 
That poem sets up such a great atmosphere!
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Thank you very much…
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Smells evoke the most powerful memories. I love how you have used Old Spice here to trigger memories.
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Old Spice… I wonder if anyone uses that anymore…. what an atmosphere.
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Toni loves that you used Old Spice to make the atmosphere of this poem. She likes it a lt. Her husband wears Old Spice!
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Aromas are so filled with memories molecules. A certain pipe tobacco or aftershave sets off time travel. Wonderful.
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Old Spice deodorant is more popular these days than the after shave; olfactory cues are perhaps the strongest motivator of memories past; nice.
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Old Spice – so many memories – (my dad too) that little blue sailing ship underway across a cream coloured sea – and these men staring into the camera. Just terrific. Cheers.
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Many thanks.
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Wonderful imagery!
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Oh my. I hadn’t thought of Old Spice in forever. My husband used to wear it, and for the longest time after he was gone I still seemed to catch the scent from time to time. Thank you for jogging my memory!
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Much love to you Bev. XXX
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My daddy was an Old Spice man too. 🙂
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Ah, the scent of Old Spice. That’s what I would often get my dad for Christmas or Father’s Day. Wonderful tribute to the memory of your dad.
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The fug of the snug! That brings it all into perfect clarity for me. Nice!
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thanks.
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Such manly scents, these are and I like how the iconic soap made it’s way into a quadrille!
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I think I recall the scent of Old Spice as well, but that has been a long time ago.
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Oh, your poem is so atmospheric, Alison! My dad used to wear Old Spice too. I love ‘The fug of the snug’ – it reminds me of a pub we used to go to in Navan, Co Meath in Ireland, where there was always a peat fire burning in the winter and a session going on in the corner.
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It sounds a lovely pub. The pub was so much a part of village life.
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Aww, my first love wore Old Spice. A good take on warm winter scents, Alison.
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Oh my gosh….smiling I am. I LOVE this old black and white photo and the wear and tear easily seen on it. It reminds me of some of my old photos of my folks when they were dating. And oh my goodness….Old Spice never came to mind when I read the prompt (I’m enmeshed in the Film Noir idea with this quadrille series). BUT — this is what my dad always wore. I can smell it…and see him clearly in my mind’s eye. Tears welling up here…….thank you for the memory!! 🙂
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Much love to you. XXXXXX
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Old Spice had such an unmistakeable scent.. as does tobacco…you created a vivid scene of aromas.
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This was wonderful! Reminded me of my dad too….old spice 🙂
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evocative and reminiscent all at the same time! Love your lyricism!
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Alison, you are such a great addition to dVerse–I enjoy your poetry and comments. Old Spice brings out so many memories for me from way back when. Your poem is very atmospheric thanks to the scent.
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Thank you so very much, it is a community that I really like to be part of.
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I remember Old Spice. My uncle used to gift my father that fragrance. 🙂
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