Thick hands, heavy hands. Blistered and cracked, scarred. A working man’s hands, steady, instinctive. Splintered, scraped, raw-knuckled hands. Catch a pop-fly bare handed, stir a cup of hot chocolate, tear out rotted drywall, turn magazine pages with a licked forefinger. Sturdy hands. They have folded laundry, smacked the side of the old black and white when the vertical-hold was shot. Changed the spark plugs, planed down swollen doors, changed the bed sheets, scrubbed burned grease from the frying pan, augered the deep-lake ice for fishing. Strong enough to wield a sledge-hammer on a fence post, and with enough agility to roll a marijuana cigarette on a windy day. They have hit me, held me, slapped me with a belt wrapped around the knuckles, and drawn lines in the dirt to teach me the letters in my name.
I look at my own hands. Pale and soft from soapy water and disinfectant. A janitor’s hands. Not hard or scabbed. Worn clean, scuffed pink, soft even under the nails. Mild hands. Rolling-a-joint hands. Something in common, other than our name.
Ordinary Handsome 
Yup. He’s back! š
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I hope so… still not sure. And thank you. š
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Love your style of writing, the details that you pick tell stories by themselves.
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I’m a nut about details. š
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I notice them. The sensory texture is enthralling.
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Thank you. š
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Who would have thought you could write so much about hands…..great description
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Thank you. š
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Vivid and visceral both.
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Thank you.
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This is truly epic. What a sensory overloaded wallop…literally. Love this! Thanks to D. Wallace Peach for pointing out your amazing talent in another magical read š Her review is brilliant and so deserving! Kudos Steven. Sincerely!
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I truly appreciate that. The review was a huge surprise, and I’m very flattered by her generous words. It comes at a time when I’m having doubts about my writing and am struggling to find the right voice. I know it will return… I haven’t given up, but there are moments when the silence is a little overwhelming. But, you know, creative people are half-crazy with doubt most of the time anyway. So I think I’m in good company. š
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Steve, I thought Peach’s review was spot on. Everything she said about your writing resonated with me. This blog post is just one more example of that talent. So, if you have doubts about your writing- Don’t. I mean, I’ve been going through some soul searching myself regarding writing and whether or not it’s time to pull the plug. I guess we all do. But I’ve got like five followers lol. You can’t EVER give up. Believe me when I say your writing is amazing. It’s just a matter of time. Believe.
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Well, it’s been quite a week for encouragement. I really appreciate that, Susan! And I really wasn’t fishing for compliments, just stating my frustration of late. I think I’ve figured it out… Handsome is proving to be a hard act to follow and I think I’m intimidated. I’m slowly finding my voice with this new project. I’m waiting for that EUREKA! moment when everything falls into place. It’s been my experience that it comes when you’re least expecting it, of course, so I’ll chill. La-de-da! (Canadian chilling… doesn’t take much to amuse us.)
And don’t you dare pull the plug! I love your writing and look forward to your posts. Doesn’t matter how many followers, as long as they’re loyal. š And thank you again! š
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Lovely work here, Steven. A pleasure to read, indeed.
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Thank you Shelley. š
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