~ ACCUSTOMED, CEREMONIOUS ~
 |
| Magazine page from an unremembered source,
saved for decades in my recipe notebook. |
Kind of like opening a spice drawer,
I googled "poems about spices,"
and found so many!
1. All the spices dancing, including the "feisty" peppercorns:
Nine Spice Mix
by Zeina Azzam
lending them a uniquely Palestinian flavor."
— Reem Kassis, The Palestinian Table
First they tango on my tongue,
nimble couples careening,
then together
form an Arab-style line dance
stepping, stomping, swaying.
West Indies allspice dazzles,
berries tangling with cinnamon sticks,
while cloves, Indonesian natives,
lead with a spirited solidarity solo.
Coriander seeds offer greetings in Hindi
as others toast comrades in languages
beyond borders and blockades.
Lifting up sisterhood, sun-wizened nutmeg
starts a sibling dance with mace.
Cumin demurs, then surprises
with subtle exultation.
Queen of spices cardamom,
host of the party, gives a nod to flavors
in hiding: lemony, sweet, warm,
fragrant, nutty, pungent, hot.
Encouraged, feisty black peppercorns
shimmy center stage, organizing
the unique union of nine
for a vivacious global salute.
2. Another long rhyming list of spices, swirling, sacred:
Sacred Spice
by Deb Blakley
Fragrant and beautiful Star Anise
Pepper worth fortunes, crossing the seas,
Garlic to heal you and Cumin to shout,
Cinnamon, sweet as a kiss on the mouth.
Cloves, for preserving and also for pain,
Nutmeg, the bringer of fortune and fame,
Cardamom, Sesame, pale Ginger too,
Swirled into curries, stir-fries or stews.
Comfortable herbs of Basil and Thyme,
Sage and Oregano, Tarragon, Freeze Dried Chives.
Parsley, helping the others to blend,
Rosemary, Lovage, Marjoram, Mint.
Set them to simmer for tincture or tea,
for poison or poultice, or visions to see.
Powerful Turmeric, worker of wonders,
Allspice from islands of sunshine and thunder.
Bark, root and berry, leaf, seed and flower,
pick, dry and sort them, sweat them for hours.
Born of Creation and blessing us twice,
with health and with flavor, sweet sacred spice.
3. Spices as metaphor for a loving relationship,
all the "doors and windows" and spice jars open:
Filling Spice Jars as Your Wife
by Kai Coggin
It seems like all my poems
after this will be different,
they will hold a different weight
like how the weight of my heart
has shifted into indistinguishable float,
into lifting cloud,
into weightless flight tonight
as the rain gently falls
on the summer-heated tin roof,
the din of casual raindrops
and warm low lights glowing
and wind blowing through the house,
we have all our doors and windows open.
We have all our doors and windows open
and I am pouring spices into glass jars,
coriander cinnamon cumin ground sage
and it’s hard to describe this
moment in the confines of a page,
tiny hills of vibrant color
and intoxicating fragrance
and you hear the cadence
of my heart
from the kitchen
where you build the perfect fitting slip-in shelves
for our spices over the stove,
match the colors,
match my colors to yours,
I have all my doors and windows open to you.
4. Cooking tips and life lessons, passed from mother to child;
and the peppercorns again -- this time "wild":
My Mother's Spices
by Margo LaGattuta
Cooking in my mother’s kitchen,
now that she’s gone, gives me
an odd feeling. Sprinkling cardamom
and sweet basil into the chili,
I think of when she last used these
to spice up a beef stew. What
was she thinking as she poured
marjoram and Mrs. Dash onto
her lamb chops? I wonder—
and notice how paprika
sticks until I tap it on the edge
of the counter. Nutmeg loosens like
memory and pours out full
and rich. Mother was shy
with spices sometimes, Don’t
use too much! she’d call to me
while I was joyously seasoning
meatloaf with rosemary leaves.
Don’t make it too hot, she’d
remind me as I minced a garlic clove
or cut an onion with tears in my eyes.
She liked to live carefully, thought
I was a hooligan the way I went
wild sometimes with peppercorns.
Even her dying was careful and slow.
My mother wanted to do it right,
and she lay there for weeks
in Charlevoix hospital after her last stroke.
Always take your time, she once told me.
You’ll want to get the seasoning just right.
5. Perfect for the season, all the red and yellow spices;
golden October the color of saffron and turmeric:
Spice
by Lori Levy
It's the time of year I want to be there, not here:
back east, where the hills flush red as guilt,
as if a secret has been exposed.
But there is no secret; just October
in Vermont. Saffron, turmeric,
chili pepper on the leaves.
It's taken years for me to notice;
only now I can admit
that here, too, the trees break out
in spicy salsa flames—
though it's our winter that sizzles:
November and December
when Liquidambars blaze as brightly
as the maples I have yearned for.
Too long I've missed the scarlet
of crepe myrtles in L.A. . . .
not just leaves turning red,
not paprika, sweet or hot,
but the glow they spark in me—
and whatever in that fervor feels
like revelry, rebellion.
Something fierce unleashed
makes me blush like those hills.
[ellipses in original]
6. Another mother - daughter reminiscence,
a whirl of nostalgic spices:
Whirlwind of Spices
by Anya Patel
A whirlwind of spices
Can make you cough
The powder gets breathed deep into your lungs
It tickles the back of your throat with its wings
A whirlwind of spices
Can make your eyes water and twitch
The particles dissolve on your pupils and make them itch and burn
A whirlwind of spices
Can make you feel nostalgic
your mother is holding your hand as you stir a big pot
A whirlwind of spices
smells like a restaurant explosion in the kitchen
hot and exciting
A whirlwind of spices
Flutters down on your skin
Like someone is blinking on your arm
Someone with spices dissolved on their pupils
7. Another list of nearly every spice,
from Time to Thyme:
The Spice of Life
Esther Spurrill-Jones
Time
Does not
Stop, so I
Will savour life
In all its flavour:
I want cardamom and
Cloves, anise, and cinnamon,
Peppermint, dill, licorice,
Chives, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
O will you be a true love of mine
And be for me the salt and spice?
Burst on my tongue like ginger,
Cumin, garlic, relish,
Horseradish, mustard,
Coriander,
Rosemary,
Sage, and
Thyme.
And tins to keep them in . . .
Tuesday, October 28th
Between now and then, read
THE QUOTIDIAN KIT ~ Spice Mix Recipes
my shorter, almost daily blogs
www.dailykitticarriker.blogspot.com
Looking for a good book? Try
KITTI'S LIST
my running list of recent reading
www.kittislist.blogsppot.com
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