Liquid Autumn

In this little vial passed down through the years is an elixir made of whispers and gold of a maple tree tapped from the well of October from which sweetened stories will flow. It contains the depth of a cider-hued sky and the pulp of a bright pumpkin moon. It’s infused with the breath of an orange rind sigh and a dandelion ghost from June. It blows in like the leaves from Vermont’s crimson blanket or Salem’s fog where the mysteries play, from a Pennsylvania fireside that sends smoke signals out toward California way. From the wind-laced moors where Samhain once loomed over lantern light and hollowed out moans, to the candle-lit graves in Oaxaca’s bright bloom where copal guides the dead to their homes. From the scent of decay and the crackle of pines, the scarecrow’s post where the crow’s all sing. Oh, one sip of this stuff will open your mind to the magic the high season may bring. A single drop holds the energy of a trick-or-treat street and the laughter of porch pumpkin grins, the purr of a black cat by cozy furnace heat and the thrill when a horror film begins. Then I stir in the quickness of each passing year with the poetry of windswept trees, and how autumn with all its vibrant light accepts death with such beautiful ease. A final dash of nostalgia, a crepe paper witch, The vinyl costumes from days of old, a quick shimmer and shake of haunted old lines from dusty books bound in marigold. For you, a tincture of longing and cinnamon lore, of endings that don’t feel quite like ends, and when you taste it, you’ll think once more that time is gentle, and change is a friend. So drink and walk through this autumn spell where memories collect like leaves, like a hopeful wish falling into an October well, where life and death at the surface shall meet. (Though my poem implies you can drink this, you can’t lol. Don’t drink it! Just wear it and dream happy autumn dreams ok? Ok!) What if you could bottle the best season as a scent? Wear it close to your heart, breathe it in when you begin to miss it too much? Well, I’ve thought about this a heck of a lot and for me, this is the scent! This is a magical, shapeshifting, and deep long-lasting scent. It first hits you with all of the candied sweetness and lively spice of the season— pumpkin pie filling, warm cakes, orange peel sugary pecans, roasted chestnuts and maple syrup, then slowly settles into faint and lovely wisps of candy apple skin, honey sticks, soft musk, florals and crisp night air. You may even smell the ghosts of pumpkin seeds baking in a warm oven, or your best and brightest dreams of Halloween! Whatever memories it conjures, I hope they’re wonderful!