This Hand

        The old Man still stood talking by my side; 

        But now his voice to me was like a stream

        Scarce heard; nor word from word could I divide;

        And the whole body of the Man did seem

        Like one whom I had met with in a dream;

        Or like a man from some far region sent,

        To give me human strength, by apt admonishment.

                  William Wordsworth, Resolution and Independence

You’re a good person.  I can tell cause I 

See real clearly.  You’re probably laughing,

Thinking I’m some old fool.  Sure am.  But I 

Still see cause I know where silence is and 

I go every chance I get.  Practice long 

Enough and you start to live there.  Do you 

Believe me?  Sure you do.  You want to,  I 

Can tell.  I saw you practicing.  But you 

Gotta grow up yet.  You’re too weak, thinking 

You know this and that.  All that learning did 

Is make the I show more often—I think 

This, I know that, I want this, I need that.  

Why you got more I fighting for space in 

You then there is you.  It’s okay, though.  You’re 

A good person.  You have a good heart.  You’re 

Asking the right questions.  Keep asking.  But 

You gotta be stronger.  You’re weak.  You know 

What that means?  No, you have no idea.  

Oh, but you think you do, I can tell by 

That sharp eye you just threw.  I ain’t telling 

You what to do, just saying you have to 

Find a strength within.  You gotta watch what 

Comes outta your mouth, and if you can’t stop 

The garbage then stop talking.  You always 

Want more, but if you know where you are, what 

You are, you wouldn’t want for nothing.  And 

All them folks running crazy, chasing this 

Or that, thinking what makes them busy is 

Life—they’re at stages in-between.  But see, 

Most people are caught.  Their attention is 

Taken in by what they think they need or 

Want—they can’t direct it to what they are.  

Are you listening still?  Good, cause you need 

To hear this.  Give me your hand.  Look at how 

Soft and clean and little it is.  Now look 

At mine.  It looks ugly to you don’t it?  

All gnarled up like it is, but it’s just a 

Hand.  Can you see where this hand has been, what 

It’s done to survive?  You’re thinking it’s done 

Bad.  Can you see this hand holding a bird

Or a flower?  Just this morning it did.  

See the bird and the flower they ain’t got 

Distracted eyes like you.  They see the hand 

For what it is—a tool.  What have you done 

With yours?  It doesn’t look much used to me.  

Learn to know things for what they are, not just 

What they seem.  Sure, they are always changing.  

That’s what life is, but you’re looking at what 

Seems to be, making decisions on that 

Fool notion.  When they ain’t that way next time 

You bother to look, you feel let down by 

The world—it’s just going about its own

Business, you’re the one letting yourself down 

Because you ain’t looking right.  But don’t fret 

None.  You’ll hear what I’m talking soon enough. 

Okay, then, I’ll be going now, thank you.