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Catherine chose the Inklings’ challenge for this month. She found her inspiration in an “Invitation for Writing and Reflection” from How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope, edited by James Crews. Using Sally Bliumis-Dunn‘s poem, “Work” as our mentor text, Catherine (and Crews) asked us to consider
…a time when you felt so consumed with the act of making something that you lost all sense of time, and your mind seemed to clear? What allowed you to enter this mindful creative space?
I wrote a draft about embroidery (no surprise), which makes a fine companion to Catherine’s knitting poem. But I also lose myself when I’m baking, especially when I knead the dough. The recipe I use for white bread is my paternal grandmother’s, and I feel a visceral connection to her and all my other bread-baking ancestors when I’m kneading.
Here’s how the rest of the crew met Catherine’s challenge:
Linda @A Word Edgewise
Heidi @my juicy little universe
Molly @Nix the Comfort Zone
Catherine @Reading to the Core
Margaret @Reflections on the Teche
Laura Shovan has this week’s Poetry Friday roundup.
The kneading image is via Unsplash.
A(nother) Year of Reading 
Love the rhythm you created in your poem and how it matches the “press-turn-press-turn.” Thank you for sharing.
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So many action verbs have been rolled and kneadeed into your poem Mary Lee, something synonymous with recipes. In your poem, it works so well. Great image to accompany your words. Such therapuetic action.
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This is lovely. I sometimes wish, when I read something deeply passionate like this, that I enjoyed baking!
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Montessori believed: Busy hands free the mind. I love that you find your flow in kneading dough – truly a “practical life activity”.
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Yum! And, true and I feel like also typing, Amen.
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You’ve used repetition to such powerful effect in this poem, adding rhythm and enhancing meaning. Great word choice throughout as well! (And as Linda said, “Yum!”)
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I love that consonance in sticky and sprinkles. And I love that anthology “How to Love the World”!
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No ‘knead’ to tell you that you ‘bread’ my mind with this poem, Mary Lee. My hubs is the baker and he definitely “loses” himself in the baking process. “smoothing dough, soothing mind”…yes!
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Love your bread poem, of course. Yes, there is great flow sometimes with baking. Kneading dough can be very meditative. Now I want some homemade bread!
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I do love this poem for its simplicity and senses, tactile feel and that last line.
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I enjoyed the ‘flow’ of your poem itself, Mary Lee. Cooking or baking means following the steps, thus is a relaxation of the mind from other tasks. You’ve shown that in your poem so well. Love reading about your recipe’s ancestry, too!
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I like the short lines here, Mary Lee; they remind me of the “press-turn” nature of kneading. I had to take the week off as I was traveling, so I’ll have to get a poem cooking for next week.
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The verbs play such an important role in the flow of the poem, Mary Lee. I bet your bread is yummy!
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Time does fall away when we’re deep into the process of baking. As others have said, your strong verbs and short lines give this poem a powerful punch!
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I love that rhythm of kneading and rising and baking. My husband once got me a bread machine and he couldn’t understand why I wanted him to take it back. I like the process of baking bread as much as the result
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On this reading I notice the verbs “accepts” and “submits”–and there is that, in flow–you have to be willing to give up a certain amount of conscious control, I think. Another reason why I crave the state!
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The emphasis on “accepts” and “submits” and a reminder that these are “necessary steps” that come before the final, hot-and-crusted product are timely reminders for creative process as well… Sadly, not all creativity ends in freshly baked bread, but it seems like they ought to!
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I love a good bread metaphor for life!
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