Stelios Mormoris, a finalist in Narrative’s Fourteenth Annual Poetry Contest, is the author of the debut collection The Occulus (2022). He lived in Paris for much of his life, working in the beauty industry, and is CEO of Scent Beauty. He received an undergraduate degree in architecture from Princeton and a MBA from INSEAD in France and lives in Boston and on Martha’s Vineyard.

Eau de Parfum

by Stelios Mormoris

In the mirror of
winter I long for
sun on the neck,
its scarf of sorrow—
the wild jasmine
and arid cliffs,

warm as bread,
veiling my face.
I slow the swirling
and turn the spoon
like an oar to blend
the pepper, cream,


and drifting thyme.
People on couch
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