Kate Fox is a poet, spoken word artist, and former radio journalist based in the north of England. She’s developing a show called “A Portrait of the Autist As A Young Woman” based on her experiences of growing up with many traits of autism. You can find out more about Kate on her website.
The Hand Reader
Reading hands
did not require me
to look into anybody’s eyes
whilst we pieced together
the jigsaw puzzle of their life
inside the loop our hands made.
I felt how their energy flowed
and they felt mine
throbbing in my fingertips
as I navigated the rivers, tributaries,
and promontories that marked
their palmar landscape
using signposts
scattered by mystics and scientists.
Apollo, Radial, Luna,
Ulnar, Mercury,
Mid crease,
Fate line
an alternative map
for a brain.
This is how I learned people—
holding the hands of strangers.
