The whole shelf
The berry that sent ships around the Cape.
Bold-count pods from the cardamom hills.
Deep-ochre fingers, ground the week you order.
Paper-thin bark, rolled by hand.
Whole buds, oil so heavy they sink.
The seed and its lace, sold together.
Eight-pointed, unbroken stars.
Dried in shade so they stay green.
The dark-leaf holy basil.
Drumstick leaf, milled cool.
The classical rasayana root.
The scholar's herb of the backwaters.
