Exercise: Using Your Hands

After a demonstration of spinning fleece at our Green Gulch workshop, I gave the prompt "Using Your Hands."

Author
Elizabeth Shreeve is the author of The Adventures of Hector Fuller chapter book series from Aladdin/Simon & Schuster and Oliver at the Window, a picture book from Front Street/Boyd Mills Press.

Using Your Hands

Use your hands to be human.

Pull off the covers, pet the cat. Make the bed, boil the tea. Touch the loved one—gentle, strong.

Make the day happen with hands.

Feed yourself, swipe a sponge, drive the car, wave hello. Log on, swipe left, click right.

Fingertip or full grasp. Hold hand, handshake, hold tight.

Brake the bike, open the throttle, change gears, unlock, keep track. Notate, rotate, adjust, reassure.

Express yourself—wiggle those digits! Count up, point out, flip off, come hither. Tickle the ivories, grasp the racquet, hold the oars.

Go ahead, be human. Delicate painting, feather stroke, embroidery stitch, lover's touch, eyelash in eye.

Feed the family, dig in the dirt. Use your hands to be human.