Let Me Play the Lion

Scents of dusty trails,

Of lightly sweetened ochre,

Of sun-weathered wood,

Of silence swept by mild breezes,

Of skies open like an endless azure cut oozing signs of the coming storm.

(Isabelle Doyen)

Let Me Play the Lion is the warmest and spiciest of the trio. It opens with a burst of cayenne pepper – dry and warm, notes of burning cedar and dusty frankincense. It can be compared to other perfumes that contain cayenne pepper – i.e.: Piment Brulant, Poivre Samarkand – only softer. My associations run between a dusty, temperamental desert lion, yet with a mane so soft you want to sniff it; and than I am reminded of a secluded cabin in the forest where the fireplace is burning with fragrant cedar and I am meditating with frankincense incense…

The lion association reminded me of a favourite chapter of one of my most favourite childhood books: The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. It reminded me of the lion Grograman, the king of Goab, the Many Colour Desert.

Image credit:

Makhtesh Ramon (Ramon Crater, Negeve Desert, Israel), by David Haberlah