Herbs and Spices and Poetry

My poetry is inspired by the world around me. Living things and ordinary objects. Smells and tastes and sounds. So I naturally have written about spices and herbs.

Please enjoy this poetic journey through the world of herbs and spices. You will learn about saffron, travel up and over the dunes and be delighted by tales of spices and herbs in verse.

I hope you enjoy my latest poem of Herbs and Spice entitled In The Cupboard

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All poetry copyright Mindy Makuta (aka MyFairLadyah) - Reprint with Permission

In the cupboard are jars of glass

That hold within my herbs and spice

For gourmet recipes that will amass

Ingredients like veal and rice

Each await their turn to be uncapped

And poured or pinched above a pot

Lest any feel they’ll be untapped

Sitting for years and all forgot

Some are used more oft as needs

Like tarragon and garlic salt

Yet caraway and other seeds

Stand patient in this unlocked vault

I love how I can see with speed

The seasonings I must embrace

To flavor dishes that will feed

The denizens of my home place

I hope you enjoy the most recent poem:

Saffron, Spice of Kings

Explore the spices of the world

From cardamom to saffron

Let the flavors be unfurled

Get ready with chefs' hats on

Open the kitchen cupboards where

Your herbs and spice await

To lend their zest to dinner fare

Arranged beautifully on a plate

We harvest the tiny pods under the baking sun

Careful not to crush and release the orange stain

The reap is so light when the day is done

So cher the cache, from its use many do abstain

Oft approaching the value of golden bars

'Tis worth growing these delicate blooms

As tobacco cultivated for fine cigars

Or the worms whose silk threads the finest looms

Yet this is a morsel as much of hue as taste

Kept in a cupboard, in a cool dark place

Sold in tiny glass vials; their essence to not waste

Saffron, spice of kings, our tables to grace

Up and over the dunes of Africa

Laden with saffron and paprika

The spice traders in camel caravan

Bound for shops in a foreign land

Weathering the unforgiving heat

Infrequent stops with traders meet

The storms of brutal, blowing sands

Avoiding the marauding bands

Alas the seaport after some weeks

The hardy beasts take quenching drink

The precious cargo loaded for the sail

To ports in Europe, by grace, without fail

Still can't get Simon and Garfunkel out of my head

Parsley sage rosemary and thyme

Add oregano, basil, and cilantro

Use them before they turn to slime

That shouldn't be a tough road to hoe

Grow them at home or buy them fresh

Dry are acceptable when all else fails

Experiment with cooking till flavors mesh

Create like a chef; learn what that entails

Cut them with scissors don't use a mallet

Let the fresh flavors be supreme

Herbs like mint freshen the palate

Use herb d' Provence for French cuisine

Peter planted herb seeds

To have in our food blended

And all the babies' needs

Are lovingly attended

They lift their leafy faces

Up to the morning light

Growing at preset paces

To predetermined height

So happy when they're misted

We'll use them in our cooking

To the South the shoots are listed

How healthy they are looking

Don't you hate a bland cuisine?

Whether it be steak or it be bean

I want a flavor

That I can savor

With senses bedazzled and very keen

A spice rack will help you organize

The curry, mustard and parsley flakes

Glass bottles, labeled; all one size

Will cut the time the prep work takes

Mortar and pestle; an ancient device

For pounding grain and crushing spice

You can buy a set in polished stone

Using them, a skill that you can hone