"the skin these hands will also salve."
-- Adrienne Rich
These hands turning
in the shimmering faucet water
are the hands that with a pointed finger into the pollen
fertilized all the squash, eggplant, tomato blossoms,
twisted the fruit from the stem.
Each nearly overripe red tomato
must be eaten now
with mozzarella, basil leaves, a balsamic reduction
that these hands also do.
I know these hands.
Hands, you are me.
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