Hands, by Joan Leotta

The Cathedral, by Auguste Rodin (France) modelled 1908, cast 1955

Hands
 
Hands together
propping each other up.
loosely forming a gothic 
house of prayer or
perhaps
simply playing 
“Here is the church
Here is the steeple,”
Will these hands turn over 
Presenting the wiggling fingers)
Revealed when church is “opened” in the poem?
Our hands are indeed a greater church,
a cathedral, folded, a place,
where we meet God 
open, performing deeds
that honor him,
evidence that
God moves among us
on a path, in places,
wrought by our own hands
 
​Joan Leotta

Joan Leotta plays with words on page and stage. She loves writing ekphrastic poetry. Her work has appeared on Visual Verse, The Ekphrastic Review, Pine Song, the Ashmoleon, and others. Her performance work includes telling tales of food, family, and strong women--and ekphrastic tales explicating art exhibits in museums.