Neuro Logical
These hands are mine - Jason de Koff
The hands I see
are not those I recognize
from my youth
and must be someone else.
The spots and scars,
weathered lines
criss-crossing a map
of travelled highways.
I used to see hands like these,
but they were on bodies
of those much older,
alien to my world.
But my hands molded me,
took on the trials,
supporting me
when there were none.
Clenching at injustice,
fulfilling expectations,
tending others’ needs,
and comforting sadness,
So many uses
these hands have seen that
creasing and spotting and scarring
now seem happy reminders instead.
Bio:
Jason de Koff is an associate professor of agronomy and soil science at Tennessee State University. He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife, Jaclyn, and his two daughters, Tegan and Maizie. His chapbook, “Words on Pages”, is currently available on Amazon at https://amzn.to/3eookJk