Skip to content

Hands

Published by broussardlana on October 12, 2016

When she was young
he took her careless hands
in a steady grasp
and ran full speed
through fields of wild, lush blooms
and the days fell clear and bright
When her hands became heavy
clasping years of toil
he soothed and folded them neatly
peeling off the tediousness of time
the scatter and spill of shared burdens
Now, her shaky hands
motion aimlessly
bereft of delicate peace
he reaches to hold
those once beautiful, reckless hands
of the one savage soul that burned for him
and to caress those lovely fingers
yes, still lovely now
in the twilight of life
in the absence of heartbeats
hands-578917_1280

Published inlove storypoetryPoetry

62 Comments

  3. Annika Perry Annika Perry

    Oh, this is heart-wrenching, beautifully so and even though I guessed where it was going I couldn’t help but let out out a little gasp at the final ‘in the absence of heartbeats’. Terrific writing, Lana.

    # October 12, 2016
  6. sanberdooboy sanberdooboy

    such strong imagery. emotional for me, as well. upon reading the last line i felt the loss of this person. the poem is lovely, perhaps the best i have seen from you, and that is a high compliment.
    i posted a poem “a learning tale” some time ago that focused on hands. they can be so evocative, can’t they?

    # October 12, 2016
    • L. T. Garvin, Author L. T. Garvin, Author

      Michael, thank you so much. Yes hands can be quite telling and wonderful to hold onto. I will look up your poem as I must have missed that one. I so appreciate your thoughtful comments, take care.

      # October 12, 2016
  7. Debbie Debbie

    So wistfully sad but beautifully composed. I was a step ahead in where it was going, but reading my thoughts brought tears to my eyes. Well crafted!

    # October 12, 2016
    • L. T. Garvin, Author L. T. Garvin, Author

      Thank you, Debbie. It is sad, but also a testament to an amazing love for those who find that someone, a love that endures the ravages of time. It seems so rare now that people stay together for more than a few years.

      # October 12, 2016
  10. Just Joan Just Joan

    In my job as a nurse for the elderly, I knew many couples like this. New love, middle love, old love, forever love. A gorgeous heartfelt piece, Lana. 🙂

    # October 12, 2016
  13. D. Wallace Peach D. Wallace Peach

    Powerful, Lana. I love hands as symbols of our life’s journey.They speak volumes. I remember by grandmother’s hands got so soft toward the end of her life. Beautiful poem. <3

    # October 13, 2016
  14. The V Pub The V Pub

    This was beautiful, Lana. BTW, when I clicked on your gravatar to bring me here, it brought me to the wordpress reader mainpage. I haven’t seen your posts in my reader, so I had to google you to find the URL. Not sure if it’s on my end?

    # October 13, 2016
    • L. T. Garvin, Author L. T. Garvin, Author

      Hmm…very interesting, Rob. I’m not sure why you are having that issue. I went to a different browswer and could view my gravatars, and my pages appear below it. I do have that problem with some people that I follow, I can’t click on their gravatar and have to google them instead (sometimes they don’t come up if you don’t know their tag line….).

      # October 13, 2016
  15. reocochran reocochran

    This was achingly beautiful which may be a description someone else has expressed, Lana. It has family, love and hands which really tell their stories as we age. Such a sad part of life, too. Saying goodbye.
    I liked Debby’s word “wistful,” which reflects my thought on aging. . . will I find someone to hold my hand through some years? So sweet!

    # October 15, 2016
  18. Regis Auffray Regis Auffray

    Most meaningful and soul-stirring; reminding one that the passage of time and its effects on our frail and temporal bodies does not have to negatively affect the immortality of true love. Well done!

    # October 24, 2016
  24. mistermuse mistermuse

    Bittersweet, like life itself, of which love is grasped fulfillment at its sweetest and never grasped (in more ways than one) at its bitterest.

    # November 6, 2016

Comments are closed.