Hands (Senryu)

Contributor: Ingrid Bruck

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granddaddy’s strong hands
accent from the wrong country
no one will hire him

nana’s able hands
fourth finger missing the tip
feeding the family

my father’s soft hands
blade of grass between his thumbs
whistles from the past

my mother’s smile
a gift to all her children
a warning slap

free city concert
Louie Armstrong plays the heat
Harlem doesn’t burn

some manicure lawns
but my family mows the weeds
two Americas


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Ingrid Bruck, a poet/storyteller/retired library director, grew up in farm country across the river from Albany, New York and lives in rural Pennsylvania in Amish country. Her work has appeared in Howl of Sorrow: A Collection of Poems Inspired by Hurricane Sandy, Topography and Panoplyzine. She is a member of The International Women’s Writing Guild and a charter member of The Avocado Sisterhood.