Was there steam from a ham hock
bubbling on that stove, dark, murky
spice smells, mysterious to you? Did
you know sage and basil, marjoram
too? Were there sharp edged aromas,
familiar to you? When did you grow
herbs on your window, basil in the sun?
Have you cut into ginger, tasted cardamom?
Have you gone to an herbary, to breathe
it all in? Sucked a mint leaf? Handled
Douglah, crushed garlic with a knife?
What secret thing were you taught to add,
and with what comfort taste do you always
begin? What do you crush in your fingers
at night, for solace, for memory and
to season your dreams?
#
For the Ragtag Daily Prompt
Image sage, mint and basil by Elle Katie
Colder by the Lake 
