There is a poetry of hands,
these human things,
clever, never idle, good for anything,
tying and also untying,
both fist and palm,
the blow and the caress.
Whether we will or no,
they make, they do, they
pull us through the world.
When full, they cast aside,
when empty, they grasp.
Mine, even now, are restless,
and soon will be doing something
that tomorrow, they must mend or –
quiet, open, upturned –
deny.
Pepper Trail’s poems have appeared in Rattle, Atlanta Review, Catamaran, Ascent and other publications, and have been nominated for Pushcart and Best of the Net Awards. His collection, Cascade-Siskiyou: Poems, was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award in Poetry. He lives in Ashland, Oregon.
