The whole shelf
Pepper, cardamom and the hill harvest that built the Malabar trade.
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.
