Earth

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts"
                   - Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder
                                                                                                                                                                              
If he had to describe her, it couldn't be in colors or sounds. She was an ever-changing aroma, a perfume that changed of its own volition.
In the morning it was dew from the garden, where the dirt stained her skin like a cordial kiss.
At noon it was acrid and bitter from medicine, its application and creation alike.
In the afternoon it was sweet, supple from her visits among the flowerbeds and bees.
And in the night it was fire, mollifying all senses with the warmth of a candle.
But for him she was another scent. Redwoods. Sturdy and earthy and everything he needed to stay grounded before getting swept off into the sea.

~E