These Hands

These hands once held thepromise of youth,

The gesture of truth

    In a troubled world.

Hopeful and skyward theycarried the weight,

Tempted by fate

    As the brash tempest swirled.

 

Never a challenge toolarge or too small,

You processed them all

     With your delicate touch.

Even when tempted toyield to the strain

You never complained

     That the load was too much.

 

Now I observe in theharsh light of day,

The forces at play

     As time takes her toll.

Freckles of age, thethinning of skin

As furrows begin

     To take permanent hold.

 

Hints of mortality creepthrough my soul,

Darker than coal

     Yet bright as the sun.

Teetering closer toHeaven’s clear day,

These hands cleared theway.

     The battle… won.