Page 13 - Contrast2009

'.mary ann' \

kara constantine ;

Timid and too cautious, ,I
my motions expose me.
r turn the faucet just more I
than dripping,'
r grip the kni.f e= t oo t.ensely }
as I cut the tops off strawberries.

.,

1 may be self-conscious;
Mary Ann is not.
Her hands know the subtle things:
pull a ,bowl from a knob of clay
spinning on a wheel,
pinch the fabric of a blind
seam to expose the stitches,
adjust the angle of the. lamp
minutely,
'frost the 'pumpkin cupcake
perfectly
with cream cheese icing.
When stirring the dough
for oatmeal-chocolate-chip
cookies, hold the whisk
like a fork, not tangled
,in yqur fistr with a circular
mashing movement.

She wields a,chainsaw for trimming
.tree branche~asexp~rtly

as she grips the scissors for trimming
.my hair. Her hands, are firm
on my head, instructing 'm'ehow to hold
.'my neck while she snips.

Her cracked, strong fingers fold
over my limp, indecisive ,hand,
and r imagine her muscle memories
and the knowledge in her joints '
passing to me as she says grace,
squeezes and lets go ..