Cinnamon may hide in the cupboard
or sit in its own special container —
on the sideboard with salt and pepper.

My mother showed me how to sprinkle
powdered cinnamon on electric coils —
create bursts of fragrant sparkling stars.

Later in my life, March became the month
for chewing a cinnamon stick each day —
to cleanse and refresh the body’s systems.

Then, hand-made cinnamon necklaces —
colorful ceramic beads strung with short,
mitre-cut pieces of rolled cinnamon bark.

Some people only know cinnamon buns —
or cinnamon toast, all mixed up with sugar:
this seems a sad taste of unreality to me.

Yes, we need remember cinnamon comes
from trees — cultivated in the Seychelles —
in Madagascar — in China, India, Viet Nam.

Cinnamon has long offered its unique value
around the world. Indeed, cinnamon sparkles
may have been my mother’s best gift to me.

. . . . .

Susan Powers Bourne
12 april 2017