Amie Whittemore

4 Palmistry Poems

The Problem of Handedness

When humans began
to hunt and forage,
it was necessary to develop
one or the other hand.
The brain followed suit.
When humans began
talking, it caused the body.
That’s only a theory:
words make up
seven percent of body.
So, take your theories:
What is certain?
What causes handedness?
The older meanings scar:
left-handed marriage,
left-handed wife, left side of the bed.
A left-handed person might
baptize these connotations
if the left hand contains
a troubled childhood.
Both hands can spur
a picture, perfectly drawn.

 


Issue 25