Hands<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I think of the journey
\nmy hands have been on and I am
\npleased. Stroking my own belly
\nwhile my son hiccupped inside
\nme. My hands that stroke this face
\nof the man I love, and the way
\nhis eyes light into mine. I think of the poems
\nthese hands have written, poems of loss
\nand forgiveness, trying to understand
\na bit of this world and my place in it.
\nI think of my hands and how they used
\nto remind me of my grandmother and her age,
\nI so wanted that for myself and never thought
\nit was possible. But here I am, at the dear age
\nof 51, older than I thought I would make it, and again,
\nI am pleased.<\/p>\n
I remember swimming for the first time,
\nsure the weight of the water would betray me, but my hands,
\noh, my hands, they held me up and I made it
\nto the edge of the pool. I think of the way that my hands
\nreached to my Cindy, my best friend when we shared
\nthe death of Riley. We held on tight, and have yet
\nto let go. I\u2019ve brushed my own bangs away from my face
\nand been tender. I\u2019ve tied my shoes and made potato soup, carefully
\npeeling each potato, my hands stirring and being cautious
\nof being burned. This arthritis that has stricken me, taking away
\ntwo fingers and a thumb, the cruelty of a disease inherited.
\nThese hands reach across time, sure of their journey, a fine cross
\nplaced on my forehead as I was confirmed, my hands folded
\nin prayer. A lifetime of looking ahead is yet to come with these
\nhands, and what else could I say but that I am pleased.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kimalisa Kaczinski lives in Cheney, WA with her partner, the songwriter and poet, Dwayne St. Romain. Her work has appeared in many fine journals.\u00a0Kimalisa’s\u00a0 poems are deeply inspired by that which she finds in nature.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hands I think of the journey my hands have been on and I am pleased. Stroking my own belly while my son hiccupped inside me. My hands that stroke this face of the man I love, and the way … Continue reading