Remembering Dad

     A Jeweler's Hands

Dad's hands are thick and wide
Wide enough to palm a basketball
or so I think as I pass the ball to him

With both hands he catches it
pushes it toward the pavement
On the rebound he reaches out
his hand stiff like a paddle

He misses

He has no rhythm for dribbling
nor is he built for basketball
Tall, but not thin
Dad's build is thick and wide
like his hands

Yet I've seem him lift the
smallest springs and wheels
and cogs from a broken watch
and lay them out on felt

And with the tiniest of tweezers
replace them in proper order

He can mount the most precious
of stones in a four-prong setting
for a man and a woman in love

And with the skill of surgeon
cut the words “Love is forever”
on the inside rim
of a gold wedding band

            Z. K. Queijo, 1990