She Bakes

Poem published in Iowa Poetry Association (IPA) Lyrical Iowa Anthology 2025

Dear Readers:
I’m pleased to share a poem that was published last fall in the Iowa Poetry Association’s Lyrical Iowa, an annual anthology of 300 or more poems chosen from those submitted to their annual competitions. To order the anthology or donate to the IPA, click on this link. Thank you to IPA for supporting poetry and poets in our state.

Thanks as always for your interest in my work and in poetry! Remember — creativity and the arts are a form of resistance.

Suzanna

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She Bakes

As if it were dancing, hands swooping 
in and out of a large glass bowl.
She pours in the yeast and water and flour,
mixing and looping and caressing the mixture 
lovingly with her fingers.

She bakes as if it were a prayer,
hands folding soft dough over and over,
pushing it down, moving it, 
kneading it, beseeching it to transform.

She bakes as if she were holding her own child
with tender care, willing it to breathe,
to grow, to change, as if only she can see
what it could become.

She bakes as if it were a benediction,
the warm sweet smell emerging like incense 
from round loaves, delicate knife scores 
marking golden tops. She breaks the bread 
and extends the steaming crust in an offering, 
holding it out in quiet communion.

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