On PBS I saw the hands of the men gathered grappling the links of the rig chain like a fat red snake it rattled hard to escape thrashing through the deck but the hands in unison kept it aloft These hands I thought were beautiful mostly ungloved because of the urgency Flesh sliced blood too brave to flow Hands beautiful as sculptured scenes from scripture Big hands like God's hands creating & saving the world fist-over-fist knuckles blazing through the semi-darkness Tattoos tangled in the twilight (& I sit at this computer plan my next poem, look down at these poetry hands, hands smooth as distant shores)