I look with awe at worn out gnarled hands of a labourer

how well have they have served their master

mesmerised am I by a doctors hands gone rough with formaldehyde

how many lives saved they have

go green do I by matured hands of an elder woman

how many mouths have they satiated

watch with disbelief at hands of young village girls

who finish with alacrity a hundred tasks

smitten by love am I small tender hands

which raise only to touch with love

but.....

swept with pity am I by delicate manicured hands

which know only to look pretty and nothing else

                                               Ratnaprabha Raykar