I went out for a brief walk this afternoon. It was raining, but not so hard you needed an umbrella (I hate umbrellas anyway). And so very strong, the smell of rain. I remember once reading out a poem of mine and having someone come up after the reading and note that I'd used the phrase 'the smell of rain'. I couldn't tell if he liked it or was simply taking the mickey (the latter, I suspect, as he was a very 'cool' poet and I am, manifestly, not). I wondered about the smell. To me it's always been obvious. But today I decided to go and find, and here , via the ABC and CSIRO, is some hard data. The common rain smell comes from a gas called petrichor. Apparently, volatiles evaporate from plants and are absorbed by rocks, concrete etc. When the rain hits the rock, the volatiles are released into the atmosphere. That's why I can particularly smell it wandering along concrete paths and past sandstone walls. If it's good enough for CSIRO, it's good eno...
Comments
I have happened upon your blog, and I love the poetry. You seem to articulate a feeling that I attempt to express, only more....poetically.
I will try to get hold of one of your publications. I like to use poetry in my art. Pictures and poems are related afer all.
You might visit my blog if you have the time, it is a relatively new one. But I have a post on drawing in the air, and you might relate to it, one of your poems sounded like the same feeling.
Thanks
I enjoyed your blog. Loved the images and your post about drawing in the air (and also the one about the shearwater). I've probably done a lot of staring at the sky in my time. The page in the eye.