Vicks VapoRub

If you are of a certain age,
You’re probably in the club
Whose members all remember
Getting rubbed with VapoRub.

When you were home and sick in bed
And riddled with congestion,
Vicks VapoRub was de rigueur;
There wasn’t any question.

Your mother screwed the lid off
From a jar I’m sure was blue;
That menthol smell came charging out,
Invading through and through.

She next dipped all her fingers in
And scooped a healthy hunk.
She smeared it on your chest and, oh,
The odor stink, stank, stunk!

Supposedly it helped you breathe
And cleared your throat and sinus;
Medicinally, that’s a plus –
The smell, though, was a minus!

My memories of VapoRub
For years have been on hold,
But suddenly they’re back
Because my husband has a cold.

I wonder if the Vicks would help –
Not really, I suspect;
But someone’s loving touch, I’d think,
Would have the same effect.