My Hands

[dafydd manton]

My hands.

They are not particularly large hands.
Nor are they especially strong,
Any more.
They have been used well,
Over the long arches of the years.
They have held babies,
But they have held grown men at bay.
They have carried a gun
But they have held a pen, too.
They have worked hard.
And played hard.
They have held flowers,
And strong drink.
Just once in a while,
They have fought.
Oh, they were strong once,
But they were never large.
Yet now, cupped,
They are just the right size to hold
Your heart.

[hillwalker]

A lovely image, daf. Well-crafted, understated and poignant. You ar becoming such a mellow fellow.

[dafydd manton]

Thanks Hill, I appreciate it. Me, Mellow Yellow? Hmmmmm!

[hillwalker]

No, that's just the banana in you coming out again.

[dafydd manton]

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Unwaith eto Max!

[Jerrybaldy]

I wonder sometimes what it must be like to be Daf. From the little I know, a man of comedy and I will always now remember your quote of having written two (or was it three... Matron??) serious poems, to you here today pouring your heart out most (all?) days.
Lal if you are listening you can copy this. Its not generic or backslapping.
I really enjoyed reading this Daf. As all of us here are a pair of hands on a keyboard, I like to think you looked down on them pressing the keys and wrote away. Your hands do a lot of what makes a lifetime and you captured that all here.
As this is now too long to be a generic compliment and it hasnt been copied and pasted you can take it as a genuine appreciation.
cheers Duck

[dafydd manton]

Quack! And very, very close to me! (Not you, her!)

[Jerrybaldy]

Well of course not me you old Welsh git ;)

[dafydd manton]

Thank you. (Ratbag!)

[Delta40]

nice poem Daffy. you have highlighted the amazing multidimensional purpose of hands.

[dafydd manton]

Thanks, Delta.

[Maryd.]

Hey there Dave... I thought I left a message here... Clearly I hadn't sorry sweet. I love this one. Holding one's heart is the biggest gift of all.
Mwah to you sir.

[PrinceMyshkin]

Bloody 'ell, I was enjoying this, thinking it was a good bit of self-characterization and then - and then you had to turn it into something even better with that last line!

[angliholic]

My favorite lines:

But they were never large.
Yet now, cupped,
They are just the right size to hold
Your heart.

Thanks, Daffy, for sharing this piece! It's simply great! I love it!

[tailor STATELY]

A touching poem.

If I might chance a small critique:
But they have held a pen, too.
They have worked hard.
Played hard, too.

Re: the two 'too's I would suggest combining the above L2 & L3 into one sentence, divided by a comma, and drop the second 'too'; as an example:

But they have held a pen, too.
They have worked hard,
and played hard.

(Alert, remaining nimble to avoid the flames)
Sincerely,
tailor STATELY

[Abras]

Oh, no! At first I thought it was going to be a poem I could really relate to: 20 lines on your own inadequacy. But then you had to go and write about all those things your hands have done, and so pump yourself up and culminate in a sugary-sweet last line, when just looking at your hands and writing about them would have sufficed.

[dafydd manton]

A touching poem.

If I might chance a small critique:

Re: the two 'too's I would suggest combining the above L2 & L3 into one sentence, divided by a comma, and drop the second 'too'; as an example:

But they have held a pen, too.
They have worked hard,
and played hard.

(Alert, remaining nimble to avoid the flames)
Sincerely,
tailor STATELY

Good point, young Zur! I shall amend forthwith. Thanks for that.


Oh, no! At first I thought it was going to be a poem I could really relate to: 20 lines on your own inadequacy. But then you had to go and write about all those things your hands have done, and so pump yourself up and culminate in a sugary-sweet last line, when just looking at your hands and writing about them would have sufficed.

Ah, I don't like doing personal inadequacies, I'm not convinced that anybody is going to care enough. If, on the other hand, just one person, one particular person, relates to this, never mind all the friends on here, I'm winning. Thanks for the input! :ihih:

[Jerrybaldy]

Although I am not that particular person, I may scrape in on the friends list and I definitely related.

[dafydd manton]

Oh, you scrape kid, you scrape. (And you're dead right, you ain't that person. Wrong gender!)

[Jerrybaldy]

I figured you were straight Daf. (pinches Dafs bum and runs away looking over shoulder shouting 'chase me, chase me' ):leaving:

[dafydd manton]

They don't call me "Ducky" for nothing!!!! (I charge.)

[Maryd.]

Ok, now I am worried...

[dafydd manton]

(It's all a front to confuse Jerry. Actually, I'm a red-blooded virile male with bulging (muscles) and a huge (overdraft)).

[Maryd.]

Ah, er, sure... I believes you (winks)

[dafydd manton]

They call it a euphemism!

[Jerrybaldy]

I supply my evidence your honour
1/ He used to have a moustache, since copied by the Village people
2/ He likes poetry
3/ He likes to be called Duck
4/ me thinks the man protesteth too much

I rest my case. Daffy will have a babycham :D

[dafydd manton]

With a cherry!

[Jerrybaldy]

:D Goodnight Daf and Mary

[dafydd manton]

Cheers, Jer. Kip well! Do excuse us, we have things to do................

[Maryd.]

Night Jerry...
Walk this way Daffy.... waddle, waddle, waddle...

[dafydd manton]

I think I'm going to Quack Up!

[Maryd.]

Well that had me in fits of laughter here, Daffy, sure are a quacker-jack.

[dafydd manton]

Got any dry bread to throw my way?

[Delta40]

just quacker oats....

[dafydd manton]

Put it on my bill...............

[Delta40]

its just water off a ducks back really.

[dafydd manton]

If you pour water on a duck's back, it runs off. So would I, frankly!

[Delta40]

that is true. You could duck when you saw it though...

[dafydd manton]

that was Fowl.....

[Delta40]

I'll give you a guinea

[Haunted]

Two hands, one heart. How ruggedly romantic this is.

[dafydd manton]

Thanks, that was the intention. Struggling with it!

[Delta40]

don't worry. one day the hand of fate will call upon us all....

[Haunted]

and when that day comes, Daf will follow up with an even lovelier poem, I'm sure...

[dafydd manton]

Thanks, Haunted. One day..........

[Delta40]

Lets hope we all have a heck lot more of writing to do before that final verse!

[dafydd manton]

What I had in mind, the sooner the better.... *Thinks - must stop being so enigmatic!*