March 15, 2106 dVerse/ Hands to Hold and Hands to Let Go

Hands to Hold and Hands to Let Go

i look at my hands       they are my mother's                 my grandmother's

and possibly                 my greatgrandmother's              my ancestor's hands

my mother taught me    to use them                                to care for them

with these hands          we crawled out of the trees          gathered food

rocked the cradle          washed and bathed                       prepared food

mended the wounds      made things                                  played instruments

before we could speak    we made gestures                       we made love

we learned to count        hold what is precious                  learned to let go

                                                             and with our fingertips we remember

March 15, 2016