a stony coldness
plucked from a beach
fills my palm and overflows into each
line and groove, pulling
fingers into a claw – like a ring
clasping a jewel
sensitive tips trace dents and pocks
knocked into it by waves and rocks
pebbled acne smoothed by human
caress, the stroke of skin
wrinkles, calluses and scars
whitlows, nibbled nails and blisters
this imperfect stone – not round
or egg-shaped – a weight found
to fit an empty hand
filled with my naked touch
Kim M. Russell, 13th November 2018
My response to dVerse Poets Pub Poetics: Touch Me, also linked to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Tuesday Platform
Sarah tells us that she went to a Sensory Integration workshop recently and, as part of the programme, took part in two activities which left her thinking about how important the sense of touch is, and how we disregard it. That’s why she wants us to focus on the feel of things and write a poem that has texture, temperature, heft, that conjures up a smooth wooden handle or a crisp cotton sheet, and really explores the sense of touch.
The subject of my poem is a large beach pebble decorated with a painting of Mojo as a kitten – painted by an ex-pupil.
writing in north norfolk 
I love how you have used the touch of a stone into something more, where it becomes the skin (a hand)… maybe almost like phantom pains of touch.
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That’s a good way of describing it, Bjorn.
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pulling
fingers into a claw – like a ring
clasping a jewel
That’s a fabulous image. I really like this poem, Kim, I like the way the borders between your hand and the stone blur – is it your hand feeling the stone, or the stone feeling your hand? It’s so well done.
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Thank you so much, Sarah.
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Sarah’s point is well taken, the POV shifts, giving the reader lots of leeway for interpretation. Worry stones, like crystals, hold the power of the molten earth, the gravitational vibes, and it feels great to be caressed by those magic fingers.
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Thank you, Glenn. My Mojo stone sits on my desk, where I can reach it any time I want to pick it up. 🙂
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Nice description of that stone: “a weight found
to fit an empty hand”
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Thanks Frank.
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Some pebbles just fit the hand. That’s how you know you were meant to find it 🙂
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🙂
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Stunning in delivery and message. I love this Kim!
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Thank you, Carrie!
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I like this! Some stones just naturally fit in your hand and become part of you. I like the Mojo stone too.
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Thank you, Toni.
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Wonderful Kim, quite excellent… 🙂
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🙂
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Nice – touch can be so comforting
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It certainly can, V.J.
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I love how that imperfect stone can fit your hand Kim. The skin tells a story when it bears:
wrinkles, calluses and scars
whitlows, nibbled nails and blisters
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Thank you, Grace.
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Smooth stones from the ocean as amazingly sculptured and beautiful to touch!
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Thank you, Dwight!
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Stones smoothed by the icean are remarkable feeling. This was a superbly crafted write Kim… 🙂
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Thank you kindly, Rob. 🙂
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*ocean
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I have a collection of stones and each feels different in my palm. I like the feel of your imperfect stone.
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Thank you!
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Ah, this naked touch is so elemental in nature — both the grooves of the pebble and the hand in their intricate details merging into one and the other. I love this bit: “pebbled acne smoothed by human/caress, the stroke of skin”.
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Thank you, Anmol.
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You really went there with the sense of touch. Love that you left ‘no stone unturned’ with the flow! (pun intended!)
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🙂
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Great elements of touch in this poem … and fully understand where you’re coming from. Can’t resist pebbles! And possible more than meets the eye in this poem …. ‘a weight to fit an empty hand’.
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Thank you, Paul.
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What is it about stones that they feel so good in our hands?
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For me, it’s the smooth solidity and knowing that they have been around such a long time – some of them could even be parts of meteorites. They’re elemental, carved by nature.
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Pet Rocks
Painting
With Pictures
Touches Senses
All Mixed As Emotions
Feelings
Paint
Our
heARTS
WheN oPen
to Pet Rocks..:)
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“trace dents and pocks
knocked into it by waves and rocks …
We kind of hold “time” in our hands when we caress shells and rocks. I love beach walking and looking down at my feet, observing.
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🙂
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You’ve captured the ‘weight’ of the stone by your beautiful description of its origin. I also love this line: “pulling fingers into a claw – like a ring clasping a jewel”. There is so much to consider with the contrast of a claw and a precious jewel. Lovely.
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Thank you, Jo-Anne.
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Love all the detail you go into. Glad that it was a perfect fit, and I love the image!
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Thank you, Teresa!
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