Beyond Grasping
What sparks jump
between two lovers,
what intimate whispers
and erotic juices flow
from flesh to flesh,
when hand is holding hand?
It is merely possession,
some may say,
a claim of property;
a way of seizing and keeping
what is rightfully owned
when hand is holding hand.
But, there is a magic
beyond grasping,
a mysterious link
that is only made visible,
tangible and speakable
when hand is holding hand.
Lovers and leaders
know the truth,
that there is giving
in the taking of another’s hand,
a transmittable substance
of love, wisdom and concern,
that guides the wandering home,
and makes single lives complete;
that emanates the faith of promises,
and opens the door
with every new acquaintance.
If you hold a hand,
and look not into the person’s eyes
and care not to see
God’s own reflection there,
then you know not the miracle,
the blessed, human miracle,
of hand holding hand.
© Christina Chase 2014
Photo credit: Aaron Burden
busy with an online course, so sharing something I
posted originally on ChaseChristina.com
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Christina Chase View All
Although crippled by disease, I'm fully alive in love. I write about the terrible beauty and sacred wonder of life, while living with physical disability and severe dependency. A revert to the Catholic faith through atheism, I'm not afraid to ask life's big questions. I explore what it means to be fully human through my weekly blog and have written a book: It's Good to Be Here, published by Sophia Institute Press.
Christina Chase 
i love this poem christina thank you for sharing
your creativity, passion, love God, mankind shines 🙂 keep up the good work !!!
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Reblogged this on Divine. Incarnate. and commented:
Scrambling to finish the second draft of the final revision of my book (hopefully, the final) so, I’m resharing a poem for this week’s post. This is one of the few poems that I have written easily – which, of course, makes me doubt that it’s good. As I would love to make changes to improve it, please make suggestions in the comments. Thank you!
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Hi Christina,
I accidentally failed to read your blog for a few weeks in a row! Shame on me. But what I delight I have in catching up.
Regarding your poem reblogged, I have spent some time with it tonight, in my hubris, critiquing, even attempting to rewrite a part of it. Then I read it aloud. Several times. And the way you wrote it sounded much better – it sounded right. So I can only congratulate you. You have written a true poem.
I say a “true poem” for a reason. On my own blog, I recently wrote in a comment: “I sometimes think that poems have a sort of identity of their own and are waiting to be born. If I allow them, they let me know what they are meant to say and how to say it. (If I don’t, I end up with a bad or abandoned poem.)”
Sometimes the birthing process is prolonged and painful. Sometimes the poem just slips out. The harshness or the ease of the labor are not nearly as important as allowing the sacred space for it to occur.
BTW, I’m done bugging you. I’ve decided that it is far better to pray for you in your writing – as one prays for a woman in labor. May you give birth to a book! 😉
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You are wonderful, Mary! And I’m not saying that because you complimented the poem! 😀 I am so taken with the way you described the writing process of a poem and, yes, a book. Mine will never be the gift of motherhood, but, I have (as many writers do) thought of my writings as my children. Lucky the woman whose children slip right out! I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to go over it with critiques and all! The book is definitely requiring a longer, more painful time of labor – I much appreciate your prayers. Especially since I’m going through a little health challenge right now. But, you can still bug me – you can say, “Breathe… Breathe… That’s it… Now push!”
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