These hands will tell you
all that you need to know
the creases of skin reveal
that these are not of a child’s
the veins tell that this person
still is healthy and fairly young
they are soft, not callused,
unused to hard work, fragile
prone to paper-cuts and the like
the cuticles are ragged in place
testament to nervous habits
the nails uneven, sometimes jagged
on the outside curve of the palm
ink sometimes resides, or pencil lead
depending on what day, or what project
other times black marks appear
on the inside curve of the thumb and forefinger
the ring finger on each hand reveals
a worn indentation where metal has settled
in the small muscles of each finger
the thumb has a broad band
around the base right above the knuckle
where another ring claims its home
these are hands neither of an artist,
nor of a writer,
but a little bit of both.

© Johanna Fugitt 2017