The Cinnamon Peeler

Michael Ondaatje is the author of the poem “The Cinnamon Peeler.” First published in his fictionalized memoir, Running in the Family (1982), Ondaatje republished the poem in his poetry collection Secular Love (1984), and the poem is one of many that comprises the final section, titled “Skin Boat.” Ondaatje is a Canadian citizen who lived in England and was born in Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka—a former English colony famous for its cinnamon (Ceylon cinnamon).

The poem alludes to Ondaatje’s home country and his marriage to Kim Jones, with the poem’s speaker likely representing Ondaatje himself. While Ondaatje was working on the poem, his marriage was disintegrating, as Ondaatje had begun an affair with the Canadian writer and editor Linda Spalding. The poem is a lyric—a type of poem that is typically short in length and conveys, sometimes with songlike qualities, the poet or speaker’s personal feelings—and, as with a fair amount of contemporary poetry, is in free verse, meaning that it does not adhere to a regular metrical pattern and more closely resembles natural speech. The main messages revolve around the formidable strength of desire and its possessive, all-consuming aspects.