Handmaid, by Lisa Conquet

Woman Having Her Hair Combed, by Edgar Degas (France), 1886-1888.

Handmaid

Tending,
fingers raw, for
I’ve scrubbed, scoured and mopped all
but my brow,
as she soaked.
Eyes closed, head back,  
hair a glowing stream of sunset
running over the side
of the porcelain
gleaming from my morning’s work.
She is done now,
with her Sunday bath,
and these raw-rubbed hands
must survive
the indignity
of a fiery forest of knots.
Taming, tending, touching –
these are my skills,
my art.
For touch
is the work
of the handmaid.

Lisa Conquet 

Lisa Conquet was lucky to grow up in NYC --  a place that mirrors her spirit, energy and mix of cultures. The city fed her soul and her love of words. As a copywriter for a Madison Avenue ad agency, she utilized her psychology degree to entice consumers, then went back to school and turned the tables. Now she is a psychotherapist who uses poetry to help her clients.