In one whiff
I can already tell
You’re nervous,
Horny,
Nauseous.
Can’t mistake a hollow stomach breath
Layer upon layer
Of cigarette tar
Hunger
And fear
hollow stomach,
Fear of being rejected
By the reader of your scents
The giver of your needs
The knower of your vulnerabilities
I strip you down with every sniff
Like a feline mother
Discerning every step of its baby,
Because baby I can smell
The desperation out of you.