Even when he could not see the clock, he could always taste the time.
–Daniel Boorstin, describing a 1600’s clock for telling time after dark, using small containers of spice.
Remember when time tasted
sour, astringent nights
you spent tossing past nutmeg,
past fennel and turmeric?
You had lost the velvety
minutes, the full-bodied
hours, forgotten
the times you stayed up
until mustard—
forgotten cinnamon
moments in deepening dusk,
waking at anise beneath a starry
sky and melting into another
dream, nights when the calico
cat leapt onto the quilt
and dozed beside you
as you slept through cloves
and saffron and coriander,
then rose at cayenne.
Pam Lewis
Pam Lewis’ work has appeared in various regional and national publications. Now retired, she enjoys the many opportunities for learning, and the natural beauty of Madison, WI.
Portage Magazine 