Touch Poem by Byron Headrick

Have
You
Touched someone today?
I ask you
And you
And you
There in the corner.

Did you extend your hand to take another’s?
And
If you did –
Was it with
Mutual respect
Trust

Or

Were you

More

Concerned with getting ahead
Trying to guess, the other person’s agenda

Instead…

Of noticing
The force of grip
The calloused harshness
The power exchanged between the two of you.

I ask you
And you
And you,
Have
You
Touched someone today?

Did you take
Your lover
Gently
By the nape of
Their neck
And pull them
To you –
Your lips to their lips
In a kiss
To say, “I love you.”

And if you did –
What did you feel?
Was love reflected back
Or was there a surprising
Coldness

A distance

And did you ignore it?

I ask you
And you
And you,
Have
You
Touched someone today?

Did you pat you son
On the back
Put your arm around
His shoulder
And say how proud you are of him

Or

Did you

Simply sit

Scowling

Out words

Of how

You know he can do better
How it is time to grow up
And be a man
If only he would get his act together…

GODDAMN IT!

DID YOU

Touch someone today?

DID YOU?

DID YOU?

What if I was to say
That with the
End of these words

So

Would be the end of you…

Would you
Regret
Not having touched someone today

Or

Not touching enough?

Would you miss the sweetness of embrace?

Would you?

Would you?

Have you
Touched someone today?