he left hand is
we always say
the demon devil's side
the left had does
the dirty work
the shameful things
you hide
judas kissed the left cheek of christ
it's satan's special mark
there were no left-footed animals
allowed on noah's ark
left-handed people are impure
they go against the grain
left-handed children
play with themselves
and drive themselves insane

i was born left-handed
but the nuns where i went to school
they said it wasn't right so they
broke me of it
and now i'm right-handed
just like i'm supposed to be
and now
i'm fine
i'm just fine
really
really

but sometimes
i get so low so low
sometimes
i get so depressed
as though i lost
a part of me that loved me
the part that knew me best
the child in me that cried
to be cherished
the side of me
that tried to be my friend
in the heart of me was living
and loving
but it perished
and i'll never be
completely me again

my right had fills the china teacups
and needlepoints with old maid aunts
my right hand clings to rosary beads
and waters dying plants
but it's never painted a picture
nor has it run for president
my left hand
might have done these things
if its roots
had not been bent
a sculptor
a poet
it might have been
instead of a useless thing
to decorate with bangles and bracelets
and my mother's wedding ring

something
it might have accomplished
or nothing
but now i'll never know
oh
my lost
my left
my natural hand
my god
i miss you so