Hands | Katherine Nielson

1. Hands sit gently folded, held between the woman’s legs for warmth.

2. Her hands twisted back, fingers slightly curved, as the girl examined a cat scratch on her arm.

3. The pen is grasped tightly, bringing the lid to slightly open lips. Slowly the thumb runs up and down the plastic casing.

4. The skin turns pale as the hands are rubbed together. Only the tips of the fingers remain pink.

5. The slow rhythm of the keys bounces back and forth around the extended finger. The finger points toward heaven, and the speaker leans forward in concentration.

6. The hands hover lightly down to the waist. There is a slight adjustment of the belt, then hands are pocketed casually.

7. The thumb rubs the screen carefully, in a futile attempt to cleanse it. After a moment the other thumbs begins to move rapidly over the cell phone keys.

8. Fingers curled, unmoving, pressed against the forehead, perhaps pushing reluctant thoughts out from the brain.

9. Flattened hands pat the air emphasizing the accompanying words.

10. The hand curls carefully exposing the nails before bringing them to the mouth. The nails disappear among the teeth and the hands move slowly to clean them.