How to Crochet a Poem

First choose the wool.

Is it a blend of colours –

bright or delicate? –

or one particular shade,

a predominant mood?

And the strands – 

are they thick and firm, 

that you can pull hard

without breaking?

Or soft and fine, their strength 

all in the inter-weaving?

What pattern  to select

for this poem – richly complex 

or simple, straightforward?

And how big will it need to be?

What’s its purpose, 

what must it cover?

Decisions, decisions!

So serious. But I like to play.

I pick up a hook, a nice

middling size, adaptable

to different thicknesses of wool.

I plunge in, find a ball at random.

Almost idly, my fingers move,

making a beginning, adding

another row, increasing

the circumference … until

a variation suggests itself,

and I explore where that leads.

This method, haphazard,

rarely produces a garment.

But it can be beautiful to see. 

And it might be warm. 

It might become a shawl 

to wrap you, or even a blanket.

Sometimes it will be

a tiny, useless thing

to enjoy for a moment

(and perhaps again, for

another moment). It could be

shaped like a flower.

Written in response to my own prompt for Friday Writings #39: Crafting at Poets and Storytellers United.

Image by Dario Gomes on Unsplash.