spice rack
I left my spice rack unattended
and went off to see the world
imagining, perhaps —
the discovery of new flavors.
maybe I messed up.
the peppers don’t taste the same
the cinnamon isn’t as fragrant
and the garlic powder has crystallized
Have the spices lost their flavor
or have I lost mine?
I wonder why I kept these old jars.
chipping away at forgotten thyme with a knife
letting hardened herbs droop down to the pot
is it to excavate some lost memory
or to ease the guilt of waste?
but my cupboard is running out of space
my cooking made cumbersome with clutter
so I tossed them out to make room
for everything else that now matters.
