My hands are peasant hands
shaped to mold clay, knead dough.
My feet are most beautiful
stained dark purple
flat feet made to walk wine
from grapes
or stomp barn dances.
These legs carry a body
made for children,
widehipped for men
whose boots shake the walls
of my house.
My bones hold knowing
mouth lacks language to tell
& my loving
spreads deep in the belly
like strong brandy.
I am a woman who laughs
from the toes up,
who breaks easy
as bread,
who gives simply.
How, then,
do I love something
I can touch
only briefly?
My face follows
your arc of flight,
sunflower
stretching forever upward
just know, love
if my body were made for wings
& not so rooted
I would meet you
some place
between earth
& air.
***this is an oldie–pre-1995, and I am still tweaking it today! My barefoot haiku reminded me of it.
Susan Daniels Poetry 
Thanks for linking back… excellent.
Thank you, Nelle.
beautiful, strong, suggesting, inviting, promising….
Thank you…I’m glad you like it, and also glad my barefoot haiku made me remember it and repost.
Beautiful Susan. A very real portrait of a very real woman.
Aww, thanks–appreciate that more than you know 🙂
The two stanzas which immediately jumped out at me are:
I am a woman who laughs
from the toes up,
who breaks easy
as bread,
and
How, then,
do I love something
I can touch
only briefly?
These are lovely, moving verses.
Jeremy–thank you so much. I am so glad I remembered this one and re-posted.
It’s an oldie but goodie.