Hands

All shades of flesh, sizes, and shapes.

Often get dirty with scratches or scrapes.

Some may feel smooth or wrinkled and rough.

Or give a quick shake dainty or tough.

Sometimes they're cold or warm to the touch.

And, they often hold hands they love so much.

Sometimes adorned with jewelry or inks.

Hands often serve meals, nibbles, and drinks.

Hands used to signal, salute, and to wave.

Some hands are rude and misbehave.

Enthusiastically placed over hearts.

Even if penniless and used to push carts.

Some believe palms foretell their fate.

Used to plant rosemary by a garden gate.

Hands catch balls or toss caps in the air.

Give you a menu and pull out your chair.

Sometimes used to pull rabbits from hats.

And, even to fervently swat away gnats.


Sometimes used to help people to speak.

Hands help the old, sick, tired and weak.

Lovingly knits, socks, scarfs and sweaters.

And, they write novels, poems and letters.

Sometimes used to throw something away.

Sometimes tenderly held together to pray.

Hands lovingly wipe tears from a cheek.

Whatever they do, all our hands are unique.

A world full of hands from every race.

All belonging here in this beautiful place.                          

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash