Day 20

Callus
April 20, 2009

a little bump
on the middle finger
of my left hand

hard and dry

from the
daily press
of poetry,
paper grades,
and shopping lists.

and all four
fingertips
of my right hand,

thick and flat

from the
daily press
of metal strings
of an off-key
guitar.

what relief, then,
that the chambers
of my heart
remain tender,
vulnerable,
and true,

from the
daily press
of you.