A Poem to Soothe the Soul

Knitting
(by Jayne Schmidt)

When anxiety
(that howling dog)
Snaps at my heels
Impatience gnaws and growls in my belly
And the voices in my head bark and whine and whimper
I chase the tail of hopes and doubts
Until I exhaust myself

Then I take up sticks and string
And knit tiny loops
Forming one after another
Small circles in neat rows
Row after row
They grow
Slowly longer as I
Grow still

Back and forth the rhythmic needles
Click and count the meter
Measure out the work
Of my moving hands

The angry dog lies down and goes to sleep

I feed the flowing yarn across my palm
Over my fingers and
Onto the fabric
Two hands joined in the middle
Two needles
A circle complete

Hands busy
My mind is free to wander
Across the peace as
Loop after loop
The work becomes a garment
Soft and warm against my skin
When I go outside to walk.