I feel drunk on moonlight and hope
Reckless from the silver glow
And the whispers of conspiracy carried in
On this restless autumn wind
The sweetness of this life sparkling
A glaze upon my cheeks
I know what price I paid to be this free
And how long to the hour it took to render
Somehow still it dazzles me in sunshine
Robs me of breath and blurs my eyes
Some things are just easier to see
When the light is low
~Elena Nola
The First Cold Night
October moon eclipsed
By slender tri-part trunk of elm
All other stars burned out
By its relentless beams
The planet just below
The only light in view
Now crisp and cleanly framed
Black-shadowed wood on night
A single yellow leaf released
It falls
Like fire from the sky
~Elena Nola
Perfume No. 9, Bvlgari Black
(alternative) Originally published as "October" in the October 2018 edition of Conscious, the zine. Smoke softening the chilly air With memories of fire The perfume rising from my chest In perfect complement Vanilla, spice, and Lapsang Souchong Today smells like my soul Sweet and dark and burning off The things it doesn't need ~Elena Nola, October 2017
Like Roses in November
I am slowly writing toward a collection of poems about the interplay of the scent, comfort, and beauty of perfume as a sensory anchor for me during some of the hardest years of my life. This poem is one of them. It was published in the "Autumn" 2019 edition of Songs of Eretz.
“Like Roses in November”
There's a certain kind of sadness To roses in November Flowers blooming in a world That otherwise is dying The color more intense For its contrast to the brown The living edged with danger With winter coming on For what will freezing nights inflict On saturated branches? The beauty melancholy-cast For it will not last the month The end of all its glory, Already past its prime But still it dominates the landscape, All its rivals now outshone Today it yet is beauty The future not yet come -Elena Nola
Elena Nola, Poet 