Poetry / Hands (Analysis)

Warning: not a poetry expert.

Let me start with my interpretation of the poem:

I. speaks of a time when hands were seen as sensual vs. practical
II. remembers a lover (or a family member?) whose changeable moods were reflected in their hands
III. celebrates hands that have found purpose and contentment

The piece has a simple beauty and truth to it. I would change a few words.

they were better for clinging
plucking, taking,
chiseling

what was already
winged and
in flight.

A flurry, then
stillness, then
storm.

to stroke, to feed,
to ease, to rinse the rice,
to dandle the baby.

I don’t know if these will serve your intent. They helped when I read the poem aloud.

Lovely work. Thanks for the read.

lovely. I love the use of punctuation, it helps the mood along. Although the separation left questions in my mind. What are you trying to accomplish with it? if the poem were longer the “acts” would help to break it up and make some sense, but for being as short as this is the “acts” confuse the reader.

   The poem is very telling, and using “Hands” to express what you are
saying works.
   You might want to shorten the poem and make it a little tighter.
   ... But it is good writing…

I liked this poem from the first moment I read it.

I feel the speaker of the poem is comparing relationships using the conciet of hands.
I am not sure if it was me- but it took me a few times of reading it to catch on to this.
I think it works the way you have broken it into three parts.
I wondered if in the 3rd stanza if you changed the word sequence to have
‘clinging’ closer ‘to what was already in flight.’
‘taking, chiseling, plucking and clinging to’

also in the weather sequence I would put ‘stillness after the storm- if it works for you.

I love part three and how the words convey the love and mutual respect the speaker has found with the present set of hands.

I think the tone of the poem is reflective.
I like the use of consonace and alliteration
and the final lines -perfect. but wonder if you could try it without ‘ever’[redundancy ?]

Thanks for alowing me to work with your poem.

Right on. I hardly see poems setting back to basics. A poem describing the simplest things in such a manor. ‘Tis true that hands are used more than that of our feet or other parts of the body. Thus we ought to take care of them more then to let then rot away. Nothing describing a scene or anything like that. I love it.

I thought this was a great piece. So very descriptive. It seemed so, at first, that you were trying to convey your experiences with hands throughout your life, but then it didn’t really do that direction. Maybe that was just the my own interpretation. I really enjoyed your use of words ‘dandle the baby’ was probably my favorite. It’s an old school phrase and a really good one! I like to think of this poem as abstract art, a splash here, a streak there. I really enjoyed reading it. :) Keep writing!