Humanity of Scent

Why do we mask ourselves in strong scents?
I don't understand.
There was a time when we hid our grime,
And wood-smoke odour with posies.
We bathed rarely.
Now we are a chorus, a plebiscite of deodorant and perfume.
All the same,
Sickeningly sweet.

We declare out tribe by our smell,
Talc or soap,
Cheap or expensive, perfumes and colognes.

I thought about this as my olfactory sense was assaulted.
Remnants of Flower Child,
Lingering in the New Age...

Patchouli Oil.