I don’t have all the ingredients

          to make Shlissel Challah

                              on the first Shabbat after Passover

a challah baked     

in a key’s               

shape, to turn     

blessings upon   

our home.          

Baker’s yeast—

unavailable

during

pandemic

times. Instead

I knead flour

with vanilla,

sugar, oil, egg.

Roll three strands

to braid into the stem.

A circular donut for the bow.

A prong for the bit. I do not bake

a key inside. Instead, I make a second

challah, bury toffee-coloured dates, brush

with egg, sugar-sprinkled. While it bakes

at 170 degrees for half an hour, I make

challah a third time over with words.

This time, I leave a key.