He's All Thumbs Now
Caught in the machinery, it severed at the base.
"The graft won't take", the doctor said,
"but it's only a thumb."
The strong right thumb that caught my hand
in his hand's embrace.
No one will want to shake it now.
Gone are the silly little finger tricks
that taught me the times tables and signs of the streets.
Footsteps harsh,
he keeps his hand in pocket.
Now crippled -
the strong resounding chords -
fingers shift to bear the extra load,
wander across the piano keys.
He straightens, and his hands clench painfully.
"It's only a thumb."
Caught in the machinery, it severed at the base.
"The graft won't take", the doctor said,
"but it's only a thumb."
The strong right thumb that caught my hand
in his hand's embrace.
No one will want to shake it now.
Gone are the silly little finger tricks
that taught me the times tables and signs of the streets.
Footsteps harsh,
he keeps his hand in pocket.
Now crippled -
the strong resounding chords -
fingers shift to bear the extra load,
wander across the piano keys.
He straightens, and his hands clench painfully.
"It's only a thumb."



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