Words in My Hand

A Poem by Bear Girl

I feel words.
Their texture tangible, tangled in my fingers, filling my palm.
Some smack of truth,
Leaving welts of discovery.
Their imprint gives evidence of holding hands with the life I live.
Some cut with pain,
Gouging trenches of war.
The battles end and scars form, but I pick at them and the carnage rages on.
Some soothe with caress,
Stealing burden from aching joints.
They are balm to skin cracked and chafed by cold and wind.
I sigh as they permeate the surface.

Give me your words to hold - words of love and acceptance.
Let me grasp that lifeline and never let go.