She said, “You just made this gesture with your

body–” and opened her arms as if she could

barely fit them around an enormous ball—

“Make that shape again,” she said, and so I did.

“Now let it change,” she said, and I did—

slowly closing the space between my arms,

fingertips converging until they touched—

I watched my hands turn together, align pinkie-

side to pinkie-side, I watched

my palms open, pushing gently forward, leading

my body forward, I watched them

let a bird go, I watched my hands

                     make

                     an offering—