Hands Poem by Virginia Jasmin Pasalo

you looked like a character
that someone created
out of disdain
you ate sardines
on a tin plate
with your hands

you plunged your forefinger
in between your teeth
to free a fish bone
and once freed,
quickly popped it back
inside your mouth
still unwashed
from last night's
fermenting morsels

you licked each finger
with your tongue
and dried your left hand
on the back of your worn-out pants
I saw the same hand
wipe your runny nose
very quickly
as we gazed at each other
in shock

rushing to where I was
you extended your hand

without second thoughts
i grabbed your slimy hand
a lifeline
out of the manhole
that almost
fermented me
into the sewer