Gotta Hand It To Ya! Poem by Dónall Dempsey

You take
my hand

place it
on your lap

& stroke it
as if it were a pet

grasp it
in horror

as the horror movie
makes you gasp

scarlet fingernails
biting into my flesh

clutching it

when you suddenly
realise who the killer is

now
(absentmindedly)
scratching it
(seems like you’ve forgotten who’s who)

sleepy now
your hand snoring on my hand

still as a fallen
leaf

I guess when
you asked for my hand
in marriage

you…meant it!