Together

Geraldine Murray

It was not choice, but necessity drove the
chemical chaos to cry out from

inside its maelstrom, fuelled our beacons and
lit the fires, moved

the restless minerals and chains of stardust
crystals that pulled us together,

inescapably, before Reason even
thought to have its say.

I fed on your strength, and you fed on my weakness
until we grew into each

other. Until we forgot the reasons we
needed each other. So

began the dream of autonomy, forgetting that
my weakness found root in

you and what remains of your strength you
feel only while

beside me. And so,
we limp three-legged, down this
road, frightened of falling,
wishing only that we were

free.

The Science

In recent years evidence has emerged to suggest the role of the olfactory system in humans may be more developed than previously believed. Our social behaviour may be influenced by unconscious messages sent by chemosignals in our body odours. It may be possible for us to transmit emotional states through chemosignaling as the sense of olfaction is closely linked with the limbic system which processes emotions. The poem also brushes on animal magnetism and the chemistry of love. Attraction and addiction being linked, dopamine levels are high in people with an addiction and in people who are emotionally dependent on their partners. The poet reflects on the possibility that a person may transmit their emotional needs to another through a combination of olfaction and the other senses, so sparking the beginning of a co-dependent relationship. Co-dependency can be compared to a symbiosis occurring between an alcoholic and their family members or partner, a combination which can have a negative and destructive tendency for all involved.

The Poet

Geraldine Murray is a violinist and music educator who is also studying part time for an MA in Creative Writing at Teesside University. She has a keen interest in earth sciences and environmental issues, writing ecopoetry and children's short stories with environmental themes. Her first short story ‘The Power of Steel’ was published in the 2022 photo book collection Apocalypse When? Apocalypse How? by Sixth Element Publishing. Geraldine is also currently enjoying teaching creative writing workshops for adults in her home village of Welbury.

Next poem: Two intimate kilos by John Bennett