"The Cinnamon Peeler" is Michael Ondaatje's sensual poem of the erotic love a man possesses for his wife. The poem is written from the man's point of view as he speaks to his wife. The man poses a scenario in which he is a cinnamon peeler. In this scenario, the dust and residue from the profession will leave their traces on his wife's body as well as on their entire life. The "yellow bark dust" will remain on their bed, and the woman's breasts and shoulders will emanate with the essence of the spice so that when she walks through the market everyone will know that her husband's hands have left their scented touch.

Even blind men will be able to see the man's effect on the woman as she approaches, and no attempt to wash under rain gutters or in a monsoon will ever...