“Nutmeg and Mace” by Rose McLarney (poetry ’10)
An excerpt from “Nutmeg and Mace” by Rose McLarney (poetry ’10), published by New England Review.
Nutmeg and Mace
Spices were currency once.
Rent paid in peppercorns.
Can my dishes, so curried they amber the plates
with stains after, ensure the guests I serve stay?
No, you feed guests so they may have strength
to continue the journey away.
A good mother feeds a child so she’ll grow
large, too large for the house and leave.
There’s no returning to the cinnamon-
toast–scented school mornings.
[… continue reading “Nutmeg and Mace” as well as an interview with Rose McLarney (poetry ’10) at New England Review.]
