$300 now that is just outrageous
That was the line
I had to give it up at that point
I mean, this scent was me
Synonymous with
energy, fun, trail-blazer
half part boss babe and half part
dancing on a table top while
scream singing Pink
And someone sitting crosslegged
at conference table somewhere
Decided to just stop making it
Discontinued
No more
It was the sister scent to the more popular,
well known, signature
In fact it even had the same name,
with just one word added to the end
But that one word added everything
KISS
Infused with excitement
notes of elegance and
hints of ‘this girl is extra’
They didn’t even make an announcement
No, “stockpile while you can!”
Or “limited quantities available”
They just quietly gave up
on the best part
the kiss is what weaved refinement,
rowdiness, and revelry
The first year post cancellation,
I bought the last bottle on the shelf
without knowing it wouldn’t be replaced by another shipment
The next year I discovered the truth
when my regular refill wasn’t possible
It wasn’t on shelves
And barely online
I felt lucky when a no-name site
sold it to me for one and a half times more than usual
And then, year three
the gouging began
There were so few left
with obvious others like me
like-minded scent seekers
who were hunting them down
and sellers knew it
I paid double the price I used to
and wished I didn’t have to but knew it was worth it
I even bought both bottles this dealer had,
knowing their scarcity
And then,
when I had used up every
dream driven drop,
No amount of searching
in stores or online
led to a legitimate bottle
I bought one fake with high hopes
Dashed
I tried recommendations
“if you liked that scent, try this one!”
NOTHING even came close
to the real thing
Nothing came close to
spritzing on the feeling of me
Nothing had the same playful power
I had been labeled discontinued
Not worth recreating
Not wanted enough
by the general public
who might have stumbled upon it
back in the day
But pursued by a select few
Treasured
Savored
Collected
Purchased at triple the price,
Triple the price!
Until
I was completely out of stock
completely
Depleted
I had vanished
Most people don’t even remember
I existed
Most think I was enough like
the original anyway,
they couldn’t tell a difference
Couldn’t tell a difference?!
Everything about me is different!
I am the difference!
I am the extra
The most
The loudest
The softest
The stand-up against-er
And the sit down next to-er
I am at the front of the room
with the microphone
and an expo marker
And I am in the back
sitting, listening
intently taking
the most beautiful notes
on how someone else thinks
I could change to make every single part of me better:
more engaging, a little more reserved
less involved, more caring
more grounded, more YOLO,
more meek, more confident,
more inclusive,
and better at setting boundaries
I guess the people
don’t know what they want
Or at the least,
they are happy with
Just enough
Maybe not happy, but satisfied
Satisfied with just enough
But not me
I am an anthem of more
hints of extra
notes of beyond
undertones of higher
base notes of amplified
and I am out of stock
not on shelves
unattainable
the formula filed away under
do not revive
do not resuscitate
Let her be
because I is tired
Tired of it all
tired of carrying the weight for
everyone who is fine with average
Tired of creating the razzle dazzle
that they realize
they really wanted all along
but just didn’t want to
work for
Tired of being expected to be radiant
because that’s just who I am
when I really just want a rest
A good long nap
I would pay good money for a nap
Maybe even $300
