Stuart Sanderson

IF MY HANDS COULD

If My Hands Could...
In a coffee house in South Philadelphia,
I would be playing my wooden guitar.
My left hand would be moving up and down the wooden guitar
To change the tone of sounds flowing out,
While the right hand, would be forming the soft sounds.
People would be listening to my words so intensely
That their hearts would be mine.
My voice would be Tom Waits.
Rough but kindly with well meaning behind the unique sound.
My wooden and me.
There is silence in the room except my fingers
dancing across the Strings of my wooden guitar.
The words of a love song have different meanings to some
And to others the words are for their heart and soul
In hopes of making them feel better afterward.
The song is done and my wooden guitar is silent again.
Tomorrow it will play again
And my voice will accompany it to share my words with it.
If my hands could...

Stuart Sanderson is a resident of Inglis House in Philadelphia. He recently took part in the Philadelphia Disability and the Arts festival. Sanderson was a winner in the 2001 Triton College Poetry competition. His work has been published in Ariel, Zillah, Quasimodo's Eyes, Poet's Fantasy and the Philadelphia Tribune. His autobiographical essay, "You've Go to Live" which chronicles his life with of cerebral palsy has been featured in educational material and forums.