The poem is an example of free verse. As the term implies, Ondaatje is free to make his lines any length he wants, and he doesn’t have to rhyme. The free verse leads to a rather messy-looking poem. The stanza lengths vary: Stanza 1 is four lines, Stanzas 2 and 3 consist of seven lives, Stanza 4 ups the ante and has eight lines, Stanza 5 has five lines, Stanza 6 has six four lines, Stanza 7 holds a single line, and Stanzas 8 and 9 contain five lines. The wavering stanza lengths link to the unstable line lengths. Some lines are short and feature only three or four syllables, while others jut out into the white space as they approach 10 syllables.

The open form and meter reflect the content of the poem. In other words, the free, untidy look of the poem illustrates the tenacity of the speaker’s desire. His desire for the woman routinely defies restriction and control, and so does the poem’s form. Like the cinnamon scent, the lines flow without much restraint.

The poem arguably turns on the “and knew” (Line 36), and Ondaatje reinforces the importance of the woman’s

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