Hands

by Phil Sultz

His roofer hands are like
his fathers, over-sized for 
his size, like the old coat 
his older brother out-grew 
and he came to wear.  Wash
with industrial soap, the
hands are never clean. 
Tar lines in the skin, under 
the nails, make the fingers 
look like wooden shapes, 
and all the nicks and cuts 
are in the grain.