For Groundwork Pro, from a distance…
the weight of your hand
find a patch of sunlight to stand in
or a quiet room
a cushion to sit on
perhaps you can hear birdsong
or the hum of the fridge-freezer
the roar of an occasional engine
or the neighbour’s radio
hold one hand in the other
left into right
or right into left
cusp one hand so that its weight can drop
weight falling into the other hand
eyes closed or eyes open
be with that for a moment
the weight of your hand.
then maybe they swap roles
and the hand first holding now gives weight while the other supports it
it could go back and forth a while
i like throwing one hand up and catching it again
i like letting the hold slide along the hand to find a new hold elsewhere
finger tips and palm and back of the hand and slice of the hand and thumb and wrist and forearm
holding touch
throwing and catching touch
dropping catching touch
sliding touch
feeling touch
remembering touch
bouncing, easing, warming, playing, scouting
it becomes unclear which hand/wrist/arm is supporting which
in this give and take and back and forth
and all the rest of us joins in this dance
of course
and perhaps our touch finds new places to land on
the top of the head, the base of the spine, ribs or belly or heart
or the ground
to slide and hold and drop and catch and ease and bounce and play and scout
and maybe as you move, the movement of your breathing becomes a hum if it wishes to
and - why the hell not - let that hum become a song if it’s that kind of a day
what is your favourite song?
and perhaps this is all done and dusted in the space of a few minutes
those stolen between morning coffee and year four maths
or perhaps you can spend more time with it
either way is fine
no one way is more or less than the other
find an island to stand within
and hold the weight of your hand.
