We work with them, create with them, comfort with them. Along with birds, hands are one of my most used images. But why? There is something intimate about the image of a hand, the tactile command center of our bodies. With them we explore our world. When I use hands in my collage work they are almost always the focal point. Hands seem to draw the eye in. They are familiar, you know something like the back of your hand. They are symbols of a caring nature when you lend a helping hand. They are congratulatory in applause, respectful in a salute, serene in prayer. Our hands could tell many stories of children raised, meals cooked and days of hard work.
I recall a day so many years ago sitting with my great-grandmother and my mother on a porch swing, my tiny "Mama Burkeen" sitting between my mother and I. She was by this time almost completely deaf so we communicated this day without words. As we swung gently my mother held one frail hand and I held the other. Words were not necessary as my great-grandmother's contentment was nearly palatable. Even then I knew that simply being with us in that moment in time meant the world to her. Mama Burkeen smiled peacefully and my mother spoke softly to me, "Think of all these sweet hands have done."
I did think about it, for a very long time.
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