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Hands

Hands
a poem by Kaitlyn Fa

looking at their hands

pressing at their callouses

digging into their skin

praying they’ll be gentle with you

and that these hands will show mercy

these hands won’t hurt you


looking at their hands

tracing their lines

telling a story

looking into their past

and trying to figure what came before you

these hands are still unfamiliar to you


looking at their hands

grasping them firmly

clinging to them hopelessly

clasping them in the mockery of a prayer

and resisting the urge to make them your god

these hands aren’t here to save you


looking at their hands

touching them lightly

running over their brittle joints

caressing their scars

and loving their worst parts

these hands need you too


looking at their hands

taking their hands into yours

covering their hands with yours

protecting them from a battered world

and remembering to hold onto them forever

these hands stand with you


Cover Photo Source: Heidi Burton Illustration

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