After reading the first section of "A Natural History of the Senses," I realized I do not hold the words to describe smells, just as the author contends. Although it was very difficult for me to write this because I kept relating scent to other adjectives.
"A most unromantic scent"
Mornings are romantic. The body wakes; all senses come
alive. Sunlight peeks through slats in the blinds, casting golden streaks
across the wall. Birds sing outside the window, greeting the day with a tune
unique to your ears. Your fingers grasp the sheets pulled close to your neck,
not wanting to enter the realm of reality just yet. You turn over to face the man
in bed next to you, and he blinks open drowsy eyes, the corners of his mouth
slowly turn up. After a whispered morning greeting, he leans over and kisses
you, and you smell… morning breath. The air of romance quickly dissipates,
pushed away by the singular stench of morning breath, which does not effect all
of the human population, but, lucky for you, it does the man who seemed so perfect
only minutes before. You quickly hold your breath and smile awkwardly as you
pull away from his embrace, trying to act as though he doesn’t need to down a
gallon of Listerine. Not wanting to embarrass him, hold your tongue.
What about
rancid morning breath, in relation to the thousands of other scents our
nostrils inhale each day, makes it more taboo to talk about? We plainly say
when other things smell less than pleasurable, so why can’t we just say, “Hey
baby, your breath stinks. Brush your damn teeth, and then I’ll be in the mood.”
It’s more personal than most other scents we emit, I guess, being that it comes
from our mouths, which we use to communicate with everyone around us. Our
mouths are made public, through conversation or kissing. Is morning breath any
worse than daytime bad breath? I think so. Mornings are romantic; morning
breath is not.
I hope that no one was offended by that (as I understand you really have no control over what your breath smells like in the morning). I wonder if Thoreau had bad breath? I imagine he did, since dental care was less than stellar in his day. In that case, maybe I don't want to be Thoreau. I think I can overlook that point, though... or at least I can try.
I wish my mornings were romantic. Instead of birds chirping I get roofers gabbing and dropping hammers loudly on the scaffolding directly outside my window. Damn you, Jefferson Hall renovations!
ReplyDeleteI like how your first description of the morning is sweet, relaxed, and genuinely romantic like you initially claim. It makes the smell of morning breath all the more disappointing, a rude interruption to an otherwise swell awakening.
Also, is Thoreau your idol/favorite? I like the Thoreau theme you're keeping up with.
I feel so bad for the Jeff construction, that must be terrible!
DeleteAs for the Thoreau thing, he's not really my idol or favorite. I kind of just chose him because he is considered a great in the nonfiction realm, and it sounded catchy with "I'm No." Sorry to disappoint, but I'm glad you like the concept! :)
Yeah, the contrast between the carefully wrought romance and the jarring morning breath is well-handled.
DeleteI'm sure Thoreau had awful teeth, but please look into this.
DW
I really like your intro and the way you segue into your topic. I also think you do a great job meditating on the concept of morning breath, although you don't go into a great amount of detail describing the odor itself.
ReplyDeleteSo I've more or less lived with my girlfriend for a year now, and I totally agree with your experience. There really is nothing worse then waking up next to the person you love and finding that their mouth have marinated the night away in stale vodka and tiny shreds of tobacco. Although she is looking over my shoulder now, and I have to admit that it probably happens with me more than her. Anyways I like this essay, rancid is a really good adjective for bad breathe. The analysis on why perhaps bad breathe is more embarrassing than say BO is compelling.
ReplyDeleteAngela, you're essaying in that section where you wonder why breath is so personal. Really cool. Go full-tilt there. I'd like to see even more.
ReplyDeleteAs for the part about offending people. . .I think you might have offended Dave. Ha! ;-)
Good stuff.
DW