Old Hands

You have old hands, she said

Looking at them dubiously

That was ‘71

I was twenty-two

Just out of the navy

She lived in a loft

In south Minneapolis

We went to the Guthrie sometimes

(the old one)

And once to a Gene McCarthy rally

It was raining

We got wet

My hands still look old

But they work just fine

They conjure ghosts

My hands still work all right

I just can’t remember the last time I cried

—Michael Felix

#MichaelFelix