local_library Origami Hands

by A. A. Hernandez

Published in Issue No. 191 ~ April, 2013

A man should watch

his woman’s hands carefully,

for in these origami fans

folded graciously over her knee

are a million subtleties.

 

When necessary a wise woman keeps

despair in her hands,

while the rest of her body mimics

the person opposite her.

But when scolded, a woman sits

 

with her back as flat

and straight as a wall;

tittering and smiling,

while her hands

crawl across her armchair-

black widows poised for attack.

account_box More About

A.A. Hernandez, originally from northern Michigan, has been published in On Spec and The Christian Science Monitor, along with some smaller newspapers and anthologies. She holds a B.A. in English from Principia College with a Spanish minor as well as a M.A. in Critical and Creative Writing from Lesley University.