Old Woman's Hands
Each vein
is a memory
Each wrinkle
attests
Her bones
dry and brittle
Her grip
still arrests
Each day
brings a promise
Each night
a regret
Her will
is sustaining
Her heart
is at rest
She speaks
in a voice
that is shrill
out of tune
While losing
her wits
often
long before noon
But when
that itinerant
coyote
calls
She looks
down
at her hands
— and remembers it all
(Cody Senior Center: November, 2025)
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▾ This Poem's Voice
Your Poem's Voice
Aging woman's experience; concrete yet explores universal decline theme
Multiple layered ideas per section; steady accumulation of physical/emotional loss
Predominantly melancholic; brittle bones, regrets, losing wits, but redemptive ending
Restrained pacing; shrill voice mentioned but language remains controlled, meditative
Approximately 24 lines; mid-length poem
Veins as memory, wrinkles attest, bones brittle, coyote call; strong metaphorical register
Primarily lyric internal reflection on subject; minimal dramatic persona shift
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