Slight of Hands
Hands unpeeled by cancer scars
and wrought in knots, still knit wool scarves.
Healed too small, fingertips drop beam and ball,
but open the door, lift a child off the floor.
Puppet hand turns a toddler's bedlam
to Sherry Lewis's voice, transfixing lambs.
Nails are lengthened, painted, adorned,
until one's missed, then it's hardly ignored.
Her core radiates from her palm
to wick cold sweat like lavender balm.
His hands, broad as a pillow's spread,
can trace each hair upon a head.
Some injuries are losses, some are gifts. One door closes and another one opens. I treat hands after injury or surgery at my work. Until you can't use your hand, you don't realize what it does. A large proportion of your sensory brain and muscle control centers are dedicated to the hands and thumbs. Your hands have more bones than your back. Would you see a general orthopedic surgeon to operate on your back? No. But how many people go to a generalist when the hand is severely severed or broken? The therapy following is equally complex, handled best by a Certified Hand Therapist with experience.
We learn to value what we have/had after it is taken away or damaged........
May you recognize serendipity when it comes your way.
