Self Portrait 2

Self Portrait. Look at myself. What do I see?

Head, hands, arms, legs, feet, toes, fingers, outside continues… inside beckons.

Hands.

Right dominant, left tries.

Struggles sometimes.

Today the right is hurting – holding two blisters centre palm.

Raw, open and screaming – leave me be!

Left held an apricot earlier, clumsy sometimes.

Wasn’t able to help the right fixing the screws for summer’s suspended bed base – that lies on the path waiting for right hand to heal, and for rope to go into the tree.

They have seemed too small, once, long ago now.

I taught them to juggle, my partner’s were larger – he had more throwing. I was jealous.

My dad’s were stronger, worked with wood, a carpenter’s tools.

I held the wood, unsteady and left the workshop in tears.

Never returned, still can’t saw in a straight line.

Not a handyman.