for C.N.

for C.N.

your hands are my favorite things

strong

soft

sturdy

you wear your life in your hands

from your first game at the polo grounds

"you always root for the home team"

to the war

we drove over the Sahara at night, chasing Rommel through Africa"

the GI Italian

to the years of lifting trash

you have the most humble hands

that fix chairs

and never lost their way on a steering wheel

you raised me with those hands

when sundays were about fried shredded wheat

and baseball games

lenny dykstra, mike piazza, and the retirees bus to philly

baseball hat in my hand

excited for a day with you

and now that you are sick

now that your hands are worn with age

pale skin and bones

and your body is failing you

oxygen mask and daily nurse visits

i want to take you in my hands

hard

calloused

sad

and hold you