Fresh Smell of an Old Memory
Valerie Aguilar
A winter evening. From my own kitchen, the smell of fresh cookies takes me back to days of Santa Claus and presents for kids and sleigh bells in the snow.
The tree is full of glowing spheres and vibrant lights. We gather together to celebrate frosty days and ice-still nights. Yet, it feels warm. We gather together by the fire pit outside and share stories. Christmas carols ring our ears. I look toward the window from outside and smell the cookies and remember other Christmas holidays when I sat in this same place. Hoping to see night settle down, to see smoke from chimneys rising up from homes where others make family dinners and are together. I used to wake hoping Santa liked my cookies and drank from the glass of milk.
Tonight I watch everyone. Children play as they wait for the presents; my family enjoys the food and laughs. I smell the cookies that bring me back to being a child of imagination.
The tree is full of glowing spheres and vibrant lights. We gather together to celebrate frosty days and ice-still nights. Yet, it feels warm. We gather together by the fire pit outside and share stories. Christmas carols ring our ears. I look toward the window from outside and smell the cookies and remember other Christmas holidays when I sat in this same place. Hoping to see night settle down, to see smoke from chimneys rising up from homes where others make family dinners and are together. I used to wake hoping Santa liked my cookies and drank from the glass of milk.
Tonight I watch everyone. Children play as they wait for the presents; my family enjoys the food and laughs. I smell the cookies that bring me back to being a child of imagination.
Valerie Aguilar is currently attending Pasadena City College to earn an associate degree and transfer to a four-year University. She is still indecisive about her major, but she clearly found an interest in poetry. With her personal experience of becoming a writer this semester, she has learned that there is a lot more to learn than just having the gift of being creative with writing. Writing has been a journey for her, but she has learned to develop it over the time. It has been a way for her to express her emotions and to share some of her own experiences with others through the use of language.
