The Scent

In 1977 in North Olmsted, Ohio a 17 year old girl, named Yvonne Regler went to work at a local gas station/convenience store on a sunny summer afternoon- and just disappeared. The money was still in the till. She left her purse behind. There were no signs of foul play…

Like a wisp of smoke

trailing from the wick

of an outed candle,

she disappeared silently..

Slipped, from the light

into the dark..

The scent

of the burning wax

remained in the air

(an acceptable amount of time-

as we tucked ourselves away

safely in our soft suburban beds)

and then, like she-

was gone- without a trace…

Yet

sometimes when I breath

the tender curl

of her waxen smoke

reappears

as if from nowhere..

It will fill the air,

then just as quickly-

once again, be gone..

A gentle reminder

of an ordinary girl

on an ordinary day

in an ordinary place-

on extraordinary journey..

Long since removed

but never quite forgotten….

Posted for MLMM Prompt: Harbinger

34 thoughts on “The Scent”

  5. This poem is all the more amazing because it’s based on a true story, one of many that we don’t all get to hear about. A beautiful extended simile, Violet, with an image to complement it. I love the scent of burning wax and candle smoke, a perfect way to convey the way the disappeared disappear from the public memory.

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  10. Haunting….and too real. The missing children….some sadly who are missed by no one….some who when they are gone to we do not know where or with or by whom, leave heartbreak and heartache behind and the missing goes on through that generation and then they slip to nothingness.
    Haunting post….as you can tell by my response.

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    • In this instance the search was almost nonexistent. Due to her age they were convinced she was a runaway, and by the time everyone realized she had really disappeared it was to late to do anything.. She lives on in mu memory though, and I love being able to share her tribute and make her story known. Thank you so much for your kind words.

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  15. Violet, your piece so moved me and touched my heart!! This is something that a parent should never have to deal with – the loss of a child! I shall send this to my two grown daughters to remind them why their Dad was so paranoid while they were growing up about safety. I never let them work where they had to handle cash!!
    So, Beautifully penned, My Dear, but so sad too!
    xoxoxo
    Chuck

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