eager to hold her 7th child
she cradles his small torso to her body
happy in this moment, forgetting the labor
her fingers graze his face at 9 months
he is satisfied after eating, sleeping in her care
her arms swing downward
guarding her toddler as new learns to walk
her guidance keeping him from stumbling
her embrace sends him to the classroom to learn
about new things and start the formation of his being
her head lands in her palms as she cleans his first serious scrape
he was such a boy, everywhere at once, his legs couldn't keep up
she blows him a kiss when he is 13, to remind him to always have eyes for his mother
the best woman of them all in his life
nail biting is a habit now, as her now 18 year old son, takes the car for a spin.
she knows he is such an adventurer, she hopes her car will make it
her hands jump to when she hears the bang
her arms run to embrace the body, now lifeless
her heart sinks to the floor
her slow movements at the grocery store
everything reminds her of him
her hands and fingers, her arms and shoulders,
they are his
as she simply picks out produce
she can't help but see her hands holding his, hugging his shoulders, loving him
raising him
she is imagining his face everywhere but touching groceries instead
how helpless
how empty
we won't always know the hands in our lives
but we can trust that they are there
