With these borrowed hands still unrecognizable
I have learned to poke and preen this vessel
taking exploratory measures
only within reach
None of the pieces fit together
like hands holding hands holding hands
This is what I got
I need these as is,
collectively
to see, together,
to gather
keepsakes
this is why the shells scatter near the jetty
by the sea
by the tide, from sand, into sand, by grain
by the hand full, glass full, by the hour
which explains why we collect empty dollars
one day,
we may fit in
beautifully.
Painting by Julian Ashton, 'Summer morning, 1899' [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
