Zoom! A Plea to the Scented
By Ruth Rin

Zoom! Thanks to it, our world is expanded!
Without it, we’d be quite isolated!
Especially for anyone who is fragrance-sensitive,
Video-calls are a crucial connective!

Because we are sickened by scents others use,
We are excluded from public venues.
No stores, no restaurants, no concerts, or theater.
The presence of fragrances amounts to a barrier.

Use of fragranced products is widespread.
For us, it is something that we all dread!
Wherever we go, we do encounter
Fragrances that sicken us -- what a bummer!

Zoom brings the theater to our own space.
We need not endure a toxic “air-freshened” place.
Nor be subjected to someone in the next seat 
Who is doused with chemicals from head to feet!

In these products there are nested
Thousands of chemicals that are untested.
Many of these chemicals are the very same
As those found in cigarettes – Totally insane!

Perfumes are not the only products scented!
So too are soaps, lotions, shampoos, detergents.
Cleaning products, essential oils, and such,
Even deodorants, it’s way too much!

These fragrances harshly assault
Every body system, to a fault –
Triggering symptoms from difficult breathing,
To irregular heartbeats, coughing, sneezing,
Headaches, rashes, and also wheezing!

Before we became chemically sensitive,
Like you, we used products that were scented,
But sadly, the tipping point to becoming affected
May catch you when you least expect it!

We have been called the coal-mine canaries,
Alerting you to heed our pleas!

Personal products of every kind,
As unscented versions you can find.
We don’t need aromas to be clean!
With fragrance-free products you can be pristine!

Check the ingredients on every packet,
Make the healthy and kind choice to go unscented!
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By Ruth Rin, 2025