No lock, no key
Just that word once again
And eyes ears fingers attuned
in appraisal, a pearly chord
of expectation answered
By the sighing of
A secret hinge, the crack
Of the calcite clasp
Guarding interior caches
of lost time, squandered
because we thought there
was such thing as
“the wrong side of the ocean”

A perfume for distant lovers: shimmering crushed abalone accord, salt-dusted white sandalwood, champaca blossoms, motia attar, and blue lotus.