Hands

I dreamt of finger bones
as thick as treesnakes,
of hands that possessed
a fierce, primeval strength,
and I awoke with swollen
knuckles, as though I had
smashed them hard against stone.

But my bed was soft and my back
ached from the excess of comfort.
Each night, the dreams grew worse.
I saw, severed from their body,
the heavy, black hands
of a mountain silverback.
It felt like wires tightening
around my wrists as I slept.

—PAUL VERMEERSCH

(Originally published Christmas, 2007.)

The famous Taddle Creek end note

Author Bio

Paul Vermeersch lives in Parkdale. He is the author of four collections of poetry, most recently The Reinvention of the Human Hand (M. & S., 2010). He teaches at Sheridan College and is the poetry editor for Insomniac. He appeared on the first Taddle Creek Disc of Laser-light Reflected Sound, and has contributed to the magazine since 1999. (Last updated Christmas, 2010.)