The Gentle Touch

Whether it is the feel
of a mother’s hand
as she straightens the blanket
of the oblivious sleeping child

or the smooth caresses
of two lovers
who in a desperate clinch
attempt make the world disappear

or the gentle pat upon
the hand between two married
for so long that their thoughts
complete each other’s sentences

it is the gentle touch
that we crave to tell us
all is right with the world,
all will be okay when we rise
to face the step by step
of still another day

where all will continue

and where we are not alone…