Redemption in the Stationery Aisle
by Andrea Koroluk
I read in the newspaper today that Crayola trademarked the smell of crayons, to use as a store fragrance. Forced nostalgia in the stationery aisle, with an eye to drive up sales. But what of the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, or the cornucopia of erasers: the utilitarian pink ones that smell like math class, those little decorative ones from birthday parties, that never successfully erased anything in any case, the gummy, disintegrating ones for art class. Liquid glue, with its dripping rubber nose. Paper, fresh and unmarked, ready for new words and smelling like wood mulch. Is it any wonder that even adults want to buy themselves school supplies in the heat of late August? Pretending a fresh start can be bought in the aisles of Walmart. Grab some erasers, to rub out all our regrets.
Andrea Koroluk is a new Canadian poet, who was inspired to begin writing creatively again after an almost 30-year hiatus. She writes about chronic illness, identity, and nature. She has previously published professional and academic articles on a range of subjects including hermeneutics, social work, and health care.