Hands of Art

 

Five skilled digits command the old chiseling tools,

with strength and grace and purpose they sculpt,

hammer held tight by a well-toned musculature,

fingertips worn down smooth, nails cropped short.

Pasty hands would surely welcome rays of sunshine

but stay pale from indoor work, some heavy lifting.

Paint streaks up the arms from a recent portrait:

yellows, reds, blues, and all the secondary colors

camouflaging healed cuts, nicks, and scratches

that are the wear and tear of occupational hazards

for those who shape the canvas and the stone.

 

Palmer McDonald

 

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