Susan Senator

I was standing at the sink waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. As soon as I heard that sucking sound, indicating that it was ready, I thought of my father saying, “That’s a good sound,” because of how he loves coffee. And then I knew I wanted to write about favorite sounds, smells, sights, touches, and tastes.

1) Favorite sounds:
the sucking and burbling of coffee finishing
the straining, desperate crescendo of a newborn crying
teenage boy’s voice cracking
the heaviness of male voices
Nat’s quiet silly talk
Max’s sudden high, giddy laughter

2) Favorite smells:
brown, earthy morning coffee
rusty, sweet slightly wet garden soil
warm, yeasty loved one’s skin
the surprise of a hot rush of cotton-candy apple blossoms
sickly-sweet milky baby breath
baby foot

3) Favorite sights:
green vulva of daffodil shoots
sky blue of delphiniums
flipping, shining hair
pale green beach grass in brown-blue ocean water
squooshy baby thighs
eyes with crinkles at the sides
silver in men’s hair
Ben’s mouth and nose
Ned’s beard
frothy bridal white tulle
just the right pink lipstick on my mouth

4) Favorite touches:
fingers in my hair
kissing on the lips
downy child’s face
baby’s chunky foot
coolness of grass
my hands in pie dough
cold water in a parched throat

5) Favorite tastes:
coated mouthful of melted chocolate
salty, crispy melted cheese stuck on a pan
hot crusty french bread and butter
tangy, sticky blueberry pie filling
loved one’s skin