________________________________________________
Title: The Scent Of The Cocoa
Author: W. E. Christian [
More Titles by Christian]
You have heard of the ancient incense;
Of the dew of Hermann you've read;
You have been told of the precious ointment
That poured down on Aaron's head;
But tell me--with all your knowledge,
Your theory, study and toil,
Have you heard of an equal or sequel
To the scent of the cocoanut oil?
At first it is always repulsive,
Makes you gag and back off in despair;
But when you've got the scent of the cocoa,
Just a scent, a mere whiff in the air,
Then you're gone, boy, yes, and forever,
Where'er in this world you may roam;
When you once get the scent of the cocoa
You forget all the precepts of home.
You forget those most noble teachings
Of fortitude, temperance and truth
When you once get the scent of the cocoa.
You're gone, boy, gone and forsooth
Though you try hard and strive to recover,
Pray to God and his angels as well,
If you've once got the scent of the cocoa
You're destined--your future is Hell.
But why should you be predestined
By the scent of an innocent oil?
When you once get the scent of the cocoa
No more can you break from its toil
Than a gambler can break from his ventures,
The drunkard turn away from his rye.
When you once get the scent of the cocoa
The longing is there till you die.
The great world at large doesn't know all,
The guilty ones seldom confess
When you once get the scent of the cocoa
Wafted up from the bright passing dress
That their thoughts are not those of angels
Sweet and pure as the dew of the rose,
That it's not just the scent of the cocoa
But the perquisite that with it goes.
There are times when the righteous are doubtful,
There are times when no man doubts.
When you once get the scent of the cocoa
There's a man and his conscience at outs;
Reckless of moral destruction,
Fearless of anguish and pain,
When you once get the scent of the cocoa
'Tis that scent that you long for again.
One may part from the Orient gladly,
From its garlic and dhobie and goats;
But if he's once got the scent of the cocoa
As he sits and in reverie dotes,--
His thoughts will revert to the eastward,
To the land of yellow and brown
And he sighs for the scent of the cocoa,
And the sight of a pina gown.
[The end]
W. E. Christian's poem: Scent Of The Cocoa
________________________________________________
GO TO TOP OF SCREEN
