Hot Pot Magazine

By Eric Jamieson

I always overwork dough,
clumsy, calloused hands
struggling to shape
their ideal form-
habits from childhood,
my mother watching
every passing year failure
becomes more obvious
boiling, steaming, stir frying
no matter what I try
no matter what ingredients
or different kitchens
I can never replicate
the tenderness and passion
of hers- maybe I never
was meant to inherit her recipe
maybe I’ve needed to make
something else entirely

Erin Jamieson holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Miami University of Ohio. Her writing has been published in over eighty literary magazines, and her fiction has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is the author of a forthcoming poetry collection (Clothesline, NiftyLit). Twitter: erin_simmer