Touch The Forgotten Sense Poem by Jim Yerman

We have five basic senses…which we use daily without thinking about them much
There's seeing and hearing and tasting and don't forget…smelling and touch.

Our senses are interconnected…into our life they're totally infused…
but occasionally we're asked..hypothetically
If we had to lose one…which one would we choose?

Of course we'd want to keep our sight!
Certainly sight in our top three
There is so much beauty surrounding us…so much beauty we want to see.

Of course we'd want to keep our hearing!
There are a host of sounds in the world that enthrall…
We'd have to keep our sense of hearing so we can listen to them all.

Of course we'd want to keep our sense of taste!
to quench our appetite and satisfy our thirst.
And what good would our sense of taste be
If we couldn't smell what we're eating or drinking first?

Which leaves the sense of touch…as down our list of senses we scroll
by the sheer process of elimination…touch is low man on that totem pole.

But this quarantine…this virus has shown us…as it's filled us with anxiety and fear
That to touch is just as important …as to see, smell, taste and to hear.

Keeping or social distance has made us realize…this fifth sense…matters much!
That even with our other four senses working…we find we still miss that human touch.

We understand how holding hands, walking arm in arm,
a kiss, a hug…a simple pat on one's back or one's knee
is just as important in our lives as the ability to hear, smell, taste, and to see.

So the next time I'm asked…hypothetically
If I had to lose one sense…which one would I choose…
I'll say: I've been blessed to have all five in my life
and there isn't one that I'd choose to lose.