a fragrant memoir poem by Judy Lorenzen

~ jama

“The scent of cinnamon is like a hug for your senses, wrapping you in comfort and nostalgia.” – Unknown

photo by Brent Hofacker.

What could be more enticing than the sweet spicy aroma of cinnamon wafting from the kitchen? It carries the promise of something scrumptious in the oven: apple pie? gingerbread? snickerdoodles, bread pudding?

Mmmmmmmm! Warm and woodsy cinnamon feels cozy and comforting. It speaks of Saturday morning cinnamon toast, late summer peach cobblers, hot mulled cider, nutty streusels and autumn’s molasses cookies. It’s snappy cinnamon tea and hot chocolate with whipped cream. Moreover, cinnamon is the smell of Christmas.

Good aromas transcend time and space by not only stimulating the appetite, but conjuring up satisfying, sensory-rich food memories. We thank Nebraska poet Judy Lorenzen for permission to share her poignant poem and for commenting on what inspired it.

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“Cinnamon Roll” by Justin Clayton
CINNAMON
by Judy Lorenzen

with a line from William Butler Yeats

Where goes the memory wandering
but to the house of my childhood
to smell the sweet aroma
of Mother's baking goods.
Where her kneading hands are covered
in butter or in flour
where the crimson spice's fragrance
hangs in the air for hours.
And there is nothing better
than in her presence here,
to see her face, feel her embrace,
I feel the welling tear.
The loaves of bread and rolls dark red,
were love that served the child,
where time is gone and memory lives
my mind rests for a while.
I didn't know how fast time passed,
holding her cinnamon-scented hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than I could understand.

~ posted by permission of the author, copyright © 2024 Judy Lorenzen. All rights reserved.

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Cinnamon-Streusel Coffee Cake via King Arthur Flour.

NOTE FROM JUDY:

“I bought a cinnamon-scented candle the other day. After I opened the lid to take in the perfume, my mind went straight back to my childhood. My mother was such a wonderful mother, a natural teacher who was always teaching my six sisters and me about the flowers, night skies, stars, constellations, the birds and their songs—everything.

She taught my sisters and me to read before we went to school, using the King James Bible. She had memorized a lot of poetry in her childhood, and sometimes, these long, beautiful poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, W. B. Yeats, Robert Frost or John Neihardt, among others, would come pouring out of her. I’d watch her face glow as she quoted them and listen to the music in the poetry. I was mesmerized by her and all of her abilities—we all were. We just never stopped learning from that wonderful woman.

l to r: Jamey, Joy, Mom, Judy, Jonna & Jacki (Jo & Jill not pictured).

Because there were seven of us girls, she baked a lot, and we all loved those days. The cinnamon smell lingered around the house all day. When I walked home from Engleman Elementary on baking days, I could smell the cinnamon on the winds as I got closer to home, and I knew what was waiting inside those doors. Such sweet memories!

I write memoir poetry, and many times, a smell, a song, or a thought triggers a poem. The cinnamon candle made me think about how much I miss my mother and her sweetness, and I remembered that line from Yeats’s poem ‘The Stolen Child’ that I loved so much. I thought about how true it was that I didn’t understand then that the world was so full of weeping. I knew I had to end my poem with that line—she loved that poem.”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Judy Lorenzen is a poet and writer who holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and a PhD in Rhetoric and Composition from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her work appears in journals, anthologies, newspapers, magazines, and on calendars and websites.

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Lovely and talented Irene Latham is hosting the Roundup at Live Your Poem. Be sure to check out the full menu of poetic goodness being served up around the blogosphere this week. Enjoy your weekend!

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*Copyright © 2024 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.

39 thoughts on “a fragrant memoir poem by Judy Lorenzen”

  1. Dear Jama, although Judy’s poem touches on her mother and her special childhood memories, that last line from Yeats links to all our world. I so enjoyed reading your post and the words from Judy along with her poem. Happy Weekend!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. You are so right, Linda. That Yeats line makes such an impact in Judy’s poem. I wasn’t familiar with “The Stolen Child” and had to read it.

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  2. Jama, I enjoyed reading the touching cinnamon poem by Judy, as well as seeing the photos of her. So much truth…

    I didn’t know how fast time passed,
    holding her cinnamon-scented hand,
    For the world’s more full of weeping than I could understand.

    ~Judy Lorenzen

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Hello Jama, This deep-hearted Mother &. her daughter are a bond to remember. Appreciations for bringing this poem & write to my attention.

    I’m going to return to reread the poem which has such simple family bonds with much deepness of connection to another idea. Although our kitchen wasn’t filled with sweet-baking things, I’m grateful that you & this poet remind me of a similar scent/mood/love feeling that appears for me when raisins are cooked {such as in oatmeal] as my amazing Mom created the a memorable stoptop [carrot raisin boiled pudding in a mold pan, on rare occasion] The other reason I want to parseJudy Lorenzen’s poem is the ending line & the idea of using a potent remembered published/read thought from such a long-appreciated & widely known poet.

    The post is a Gift.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, it’s a great idea to take a memorable line from a famous poem and to write your own poem around it. Boiled puddings in molded pans sound wonderfully nostalgic!

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  4. A touching poem! I’m impressed that her mom was able to raise seven kids with aplomb. Well done, Judy’s mom! Makes me want to have the fragrance of cinnamon around.

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    1. I was also impressed with Judy’s mom raising seven girls — although my mother was one of 12 children (7 boys, 5 girls). So my grandmother had her hands full too.

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  5. You hooked me with that opening quote:
    “The scent of cinnamon is like a hug for your senses, wrapping you in comfort and nostalgia.”
    And what a perfect closing image in the poem:
    “I didn’t know how fast time passed,
    holding her cinnamon-scented hand”

    Now I feel like baking snickerdoodles!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Jama, how apropos! I just got out of the car where I was listening to a very descriptive BBC segment on Swedish cinnamon buns called kanelbullar. I was already salivating, but then you lured me in with your snappy cinnamon tea, Judy’s Cinnamon poem, and cinnamon streusel coffee cake! I need to go calm myself with a piece of cinnamon gum while I stir together some butter, sugar, flour, and cinnamon and throw it in the oven! : )

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Cinnamon takes me to a delicious place…add some poetry and it’s even better! Thank you for introducing me to Judy Lorenzen

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Cinnamon is definitely one of my favorite spices — I mostly use it for baking but also add it to shepherd’s pie. Great flavor in savory dishes too.

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  8. Jama, the poem and note are beautiful and heartfelt. I love how the scent of the cinnamon candles brought memories back to Judy and led her to write this tribute to her mother. Her mother sounds wonderful and hooray for raising seven daughters. I’m especially drawn to these lines:

    “And there is nothing better
    than in her presence here,
    to see her face, feel her embrace,” and

    “I didn’t know how fast time passed,
    holding her cinnamon-scented hand,”

    Thank you for this beautiful post. I am now remembering cooking homemade pasta with my grandparents and baking cookies with my aunt. I love the scent of cinnamon and the taste of it. King Arthur’s gluten free recipes are so good. Please thank Judy for her powerful poem.:)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Those are beautiful lines, Gail. Glad the poem brought up happy cooking memories for you. I like KA’s GF flour too!

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    1. Can’t take any credit for baking anything for this post, but I “am” tempted. Haven’t made cinnamon rolls since 7th grade home economics class. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Oh, that coffee cake photo! Mercy. There’s so much love in this poem. I’ll admit that I didn’t connect with cooking with my parents, and I don’t like to cook nor bake, so I’m more likely to connect love with eating together than with cooking.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Isn’t it amazing that the smell of cinnamon can spark so many memories for so many of us? My childhood memory is cinnamon toast, but I grew up to be a baker of holiday cinnamon rolls.

    And yet, I have a friend with a total aversion to the smell of cinnamon. It’s just about unfathomable, but when the rest of us are breathing deeply of the cinnamon-scented pinecones in every store’s entryway, she is holding her breath in disgust.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, that’s unusual that your friend doesn’t like the smell of cinnamon. Maybe it’s like people who either love or can’t stand cilantro (that has to do with genetics I think).

      You make holiday cinnamon rolls? Adopt me, please.

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  13. Hungry. Especially for that coffee cake!
    And maybe a teensy bit jealous of sitting still and crafting memoir poetry.

    I need that vacation!

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Jama, I can smell the cinnamon flowing through my mind. I forgot about the sticky cinnamon buns my Mom made after church. The scent not only swept through house but the taste was delicious. I am amazed that one memoir poem by Judy brought up that image once again. I am always happy when I read your post.

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  15. Oh, so many tears. Thank you, Jama. I love this poem, the love baked into it, the mama and her girls, and the sharing of a line. I will copy this one for me to keep, and too…bake some cinnamon rolls. Much love. xo

    Liked by 1 person

  16. I have goosebumps because I also have six sisters, and our mother wrote poetry and read to us, too. Cinnamon reminds me of apple pie.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Such a poignant poem Jama… I’m grateful to Judy for sharing as well. That sensory moment that springs bittersweet memory is so relatable.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. This made me hungry, as your posts so often do!

    If you know a baker, the mere words “cinnamon,” “butter,” “flour,” evoke a whole scene.

    Liked by 1 person

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