Musing Poetry | Aromatic Time
Time Is Of The Essence
GiaB prompt #2–2: time
Time is of the essence What flavour will you choose – the lingering sweetness of vanilla or the zing of passionfruit?
What if time is more like spice - which one should it be? The all-time favourite, cinnamon or a pinch of aniseed?
Maybe time is more herbaceous - perennial or annual, take your pick Lemon thyme’s a dead set winner; seasoning slow-cooked celeriac
Do you think time could be rooted out there in space somewhere? Stolon networks of invasive mint, edibles - ginger ’n’ coriander
Then there’s my magnificent moth orchid Its spray of blooms is now fifteen It’s been my lockdown sanity timepiece Nature’s guide to being serene
I think about time being floral Spring blossom festooning a cherry tree The clock face of a sunflower A single rose in love for eternity
Time as a construct is immortal But we for sure are not I want a fragrance to remember For me, I choose citrus bergamot.
© Carolyn Hastings 2021
Bergamot actually is one of my favourite essential oils. And I did use lemon thyme to season the celeriac I prepared for dinner last night. It was delicious. Cinnamon and vanilla are in my top ten aromatics. So too are ginger and coriander.
And then there’s my moth orchid! The fifteenth bloom on its current flower spike opened this morning just in time for this photo. Fifteen! I reckon that must be a record.
When I read Victor Sarkin’s well-timed haiku and preamble for Genius in a Bottle’s latest writing prompt, the expression, time is of the essence, came to mind (or should I say, temporal lobe?!)
‘Time is of the essence’
I know the expression is meant to convey urgency. It’s used in contract law for exactly that purpose — get the job done, pronto!
But I’m not a lawyer. Whenever I hear the expression, my brain instantly transports me to vanilla! And hence, my time-in-nature — time-is-nature musings.
There’s still plenty of time to join the prompt. How about it — Jenine Bsharah Baines | Denise Darby | Frank Larkin | John K Adams | Estacious(Charles White) | Chloe Paulina Hawes (who is a lawyer, btw 😉) and anyone else interested in time/has the time? You can learn more about the prompt here —
Thank you, Victor and the editorial team at Genius in a Bottle, for setting this writing prompt, and for accepting my piece into your publication. 🙏 💕