What Hands Are For
for Vanessa Linden

what a thrill to be useful
to have had to struggle a little
to assist you, to please you

how worried I was for a while
and how desperate, amid difficulty
fearing I’d not have succeeded

feared I hadn’t
the required strength in my fingers
fearing I’d not have been able
to get the right grip

grip required to turn a stubborn screw

after I’d gotten it loose,
you came along, undid it the rest of the way

releasing a trickle of milk


© Obediah Michael Smith, 2009
8:38 p.m. 01.05.09