Poetry Pause is the League of Canadian Poets’ daily poetry dispatch. Read “Etymology of Swabian Spätzle” by Louise Ells.

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Etymology of Swabian Spätzle

By Louise Ells

Today’s front page mentions Stuttgart.

I thought of you. Remember when we tried

to visit; a protest march forced

us away from the city centre to a hillside

village and its half-timbered tavern. We drank

too much to drive on, so booked a room,

ordered more steins and dinner. Cheese spätzle

served in a chipped white bowl. We devoured

it; the fresh nutmeg clung to your kiss

over the malty beer, melted gruyère

and caramelized onions. We ordered

more to share. Your translation, Little Sparrow

became my summer nickname. When you left

I learned spätzle also means to slice,

to split, to break apart.

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Copyright © Louise Ells

Previously published in The Calling, Polar Expressions Publishing.

Louise Ells grew up in Northeastern Ontario. After years of travel, she earned her Creative Writing PhD in Cambridge, England. Her short story collection, Notes Towards Recovery (2019) and her novel, Lies I Told My Sister (2024) are both published by Latitude 46 Publishing, Sudbury. Louise is grateful to have been mentored by poets Denis Stokes, Carrie Etter, and Tim Liardet, and hopes one day she’ll be able to say her poetry collection is forthcoming.

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