Analysis of The Scent of Motherhood

My son smells like daycare,
He used to smell like home,
My son smells like daycare,
Like someone else gets the privilege of holding him.

My baby smells like daycare,
Like lost minutes watching him sleep,
He smells like too many moments away from me,
My baby smells like jealousy.

My baby smells like jealousy,
I am jealous of every cry and dirty diaper,
Someone else gets to have my son,
And I pay her.

I smell like back to work,
I smell like other peoples babies.
Like “Teacher, I’m glad I didn’t kill myself”
Like thank you for believing in me!

I smell conflicted,
like torn between two equally important paths.
like love, sweaty teenage boy, and milk.

I smell like rage,
Like paid parental leave should be a human right,
Like 7 weeks is way too early to leave your baby.

I smell like fear,
And the realization that one day,
sooner than I’d like,
My son will smell like high school