Hands - poem

[mydha]

Hands

I know shame
like the back of my hand

no,
like the back of his hand

I do not know
my own hands that well,

I do not trust
my own words to tell

I know shame
like you know
how to conduct yourself

I know it like the
books I’ve alphabetized
sitting on my shelf

I add new ones to the
pile each week, but alas,
they do not ease me

for if I were to gain
all of the knowledge
in the world,
it could not teach me

how to let go of the shame
I’ve known
since the day his hand
first reached me

[Oceantide]

Dear mydha, this poem is so powerful, so expressive of what shame feels like and where it comes from and how challenging it is to be free of it. The shame is his, not yours. But it's so hard to internalize that truth. Thank you for sharing your poem, Oceantide

[Paper]

Oh mydha, I hear you. I know shame so well too.

These lines resonate so strongly with me:

I do not trust
my own words to tell

This is such a beautifully written but heartbreaking poem. I too thank you for sharing it.