Sweet almond oil
After the shower, too late,
she realised there was no
body lotion (unperfumed,
utilitarian, habitual)
she'd thrown away
the empty container.
No choice but to use that
bottle of sweet almond oil,
blended with rose, jasmine
and bergamot, extravagant
so reserved only for clients;
and yes, just this once, work
it carefully into her own skin,
such decadence it seemed
and such surprised delight,
the oil-slippery gliding
moments of giddy fragrance;
an unlooked-for blessing,
and a needed reminder
from the gods of pleasure,
for she often directed others
to their altar, but very
rarely bowed to it herself.
posted by Mary at 8:30 am
7 Comments:
Oh, good! This is lovely, and makes me happy. We need to be less frugal with ourselves sometimes and I am glad that you were.
First rule of water safety, make sure you are safe first, or you will wind up with two stiffs in the water.
I tell this to the family of my patients, but more in the sense of Get something to eat, take a nap while you can....
I take this in every metaphorical sense, Generosity begins with myself, if I want to give with a generous heart. I let myself be pampered, so I can give all the rest away with a truly open hand. It's not very Christian, but I feel it is more human, and sustainable.
I dunno about it not being Christian; there's high precedent for accepting an expensive annointment, while remembering that what we have is fleeting and precious :-)
Thank you all.
Beth: Yes, it was a gentle lesson to ease up on myself and my budget occasionally.
Zhoenw: Oh you are so right. It's one of the hardest lessons for me to learn though, but I'm getting better at it. And it is actually pure pragmatism, to take care of oneself - everybody benefits in the long run.
Dale: I wondered if anybody would pick up on the Mary/Martha parallel! It wasn't in my mind at all, at least not consciously, when I wrote the poem, but once I had put it on the blog it jumped out at me. I think this is where there are huge differences in the initial message and how it is generally interepreted. Thanks for picking up on this.
Very lovely and sensual. You left me wanting to go soak in the tub in something luxurious.
Mary, you inspired me to get in the tub for once (instead of just the shower)!
Patry/Moose: Go for it! ;-)
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