Giuseppe Bellone Sep 5, 2010:

Could it be this? "Risucchiando in un vortice le foglie e le...............", which gives the idea of "entering the machine while turning quickly", but avoids the idea of -eating- or similar..
I don't particularly like "mulinando in un vortice", but it's a matter of taste. I hope this helps you.

Kristel Kiesel (asker) Sep 5, 2010:

Lo spazzolino che non mangia The poet rejected "masticando" on the grounds that he did not want a metaphor for eating. The words you've suggested all convey the right idea in some way, but he really wants to avoid any description that suggests the digestive process. He is more concerned about describing the inward twisting motion. "Mulinando" comes closest, perhaps. "Vortice" captures the sense of something inescapable, which is appropriate - do these words work well together? "...mulinando in un vortice," for example. Please correct me if I'm wrong about the other vocabulary!