The Touch of a Hand

Kenneth Lu, Engaged Hands, Flickr

29As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. ³⁰Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. ³¹He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. Mark 1:29-31

he took her by the hand and lifted her up.
in bed, too sick to move.
she was trapped inside
lost in a haze
feverish dreams

then he took her by the hand

Son of Groucho, Hands Across the Water, flickr

his touch changed her
the touch of a stranger
pulled her up out of the dreams
the fever broke

the touch of a hand
changed a life
the touch of a hand
lifted from the bed
lifted from the sickness
lifted into hope

the touch of a hand
can change you
you become one who touches others
the touch of a hand
when he lifted her she started to serve
she began to touch others

she shared a kind word
she brought a covered dish
she held the hand of the ill
she brought food to the hungery
she gave clothes to the naked
she sat with them as the tears flowed
she touched so many

because he touched her first