Reflections from the Holy Land #2

Luftgescheft (Air Business)

They have a small industry
In old Jerusalem
Which manufacture
Boxes of air from the holy places
You can get air from the western wall
Or air from the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque
Or even air from The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Small tin boxes that contains
A genuine air and smells from
These magical ancient places
For a buck or two.
I thought of buying a box or two
As a present and for the memory
But after walking in the streets
Of old Jerusalem
When the sun hit the narrow streets
And the temperature
Over come the 90 sign
The smell of all those crowded
People, sweating on one each other
And the odor of decomposing fruits
From the market mixed with these bodily fragrances
I finally realized:
Some smells are better kept
Away from the nose.
At all cost
As holy as they can be.