Hands

Sarah Kay is a spoken word artist. She is the founder and co director of Project Voice, and organization promotes the use of spoken word as a form of self-expression. Spoken word is so often a powerful form of speaking truth (spiritual, religion, political and historical). 


Click here to watch Sarah Kay perform Hands

Lyrics to Hands:

People used to tell me that I had beautiful hands
told me so often, in fact, that one day I started to believe them
until I asked my photographer father, “hey daddy could I be a hand model”
to which he said no way,

I don’t remember the reason he gave me
and I would’ve been upset, but there were far too many stuffed animals to hold, too many homework assignment to write, to many boys to wave at, to many years to grow.

We used to have a game, my dad and I about holding hands cus we held hands everywhere, and every time either he or I would whisper a great big number to the other, pretending that we were keeping track of how many times we had held hands that we were sure, this one had to be 8 million 2 thousand 7 hundred and fifty three.

Hands learn more than minds do,

hands learn how to hold other hands, how to grip pencils and mold poetry, how to tickle pianos and dribble a basketball, and grip the handles of a bicycle how to hold old people, and touch babies , I love hands like I love people

they’re the maps and compasses in which we navigate our way through life,

some people read palms to tell your future, but I read hands to tell your past, each scar marks the story worth telling, each callused palm, each cracked knuckle is a missed punch or years in a factory,

now I’ve seen middle eastern hands clenched in middle eastern fists pounding against each other like war drums, each country sees they’re fists as warriors and others as enemies
even if fists alone are only hands.

but this is not about politics, no hands aren’t about politics, this is a poem about love, and fingers.

fingers interlock like a beautiful zipper of prayer.

one time i grabbed my dads hands so that our fingers interlocked perfectly but he changed positions, saying no that hand hold is for your mom.

kids high five, but grown ups, we learn how to shake hands, you need a firm hand shake, but don’t hold on too tight, but don’t let go too soon, but don’t hold down for too long, but hands are not about politics, when did it become so complicated.

I always thought its simple.

The other day my dad looked at my hands, as if seeing them for the first time, and with laughter behind his eye lids, with all the seriousness a man of his humor could muster, he said you know you got nice hands, you could’ve been a hand model, and before the laughter can escape me, I shake my head at him, and squeeze his hand, 8 million 2 thousand 7hundred and fifty four.

What is your favorite line. I like how she addresses politics, says hands are about love and then goes back. What spiritual references do you see in this poem?