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See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poem holding hands in Chicago 3/17/14 at the open mic Waiting 4 the Bus

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading many of her poems live (8 haiku poems, 4 poems, and a Periodic Table poem) in Chicago 3/17/14 at the Waiting 4 the Bus open mic INCLUDING THIS POEM

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poem Holding Hands live 3/26/14 at the open mic the Café Gallery in Chicago (C)

See YouTube video of Janet Kuypers reading her poem Holding Hands live 3/26/14 at the open mic the Café Gallery in Chicago (S)

See YouTube video 1/22/16 of Janet Kuypers reading her 2 new poems One who Has Too Much & or my happiness, or my life, and Holding Hands (from her book Let me see you Stripped) at the Round Rock Poetry Plus open mic at Cianfrani’s (from a Canon Power Shot camera).

See YouTube video 1/22/16 of Janet Kuypers reading her 2 new poems One who Has Too Much & or my happiness, or my life, and Holding Hands (from her book Let me see you Stripped) at the Round Rock Poetry Plus open mic at Cianfrani’s (from a Nikon CoolPix S7000).

holding hands (expanded, extreme sestina variation) Janet Kuypers 3/17/14 based on “ holding my hand”, written 04/20/98 when we’re walking down the street in stride and our feet pump out the same rhythm and our shoulders are almost touching and our hands seem to brush up agains each other for one brief moment in that one brief moment he reaches over and takes my hand, he slides his fingers around my hand and I feel him move along my palm to my fingers when he moves along my palm and my fingers no one knows what it feels like then when his fingers curl and hold me tight well, it feels like... pop rocks you know when it feels just like pop rocks you know when it feels like that candy is sliding down your throat after you let it explode when it’s still on your tongue and it’s tingling when it’s still on your tongue and it’s tingling no one else is eating these pop rocks and no one knows that tingling feeling and this is my little secret and I love keeping this little secret when I feel this feeling like never before and it makes me want to laugh and cry because when I look around the room I know no one else is eating those pop rocks and no one knows the feeling when he’s holding my hand no one knows the feeling when he’s holding my hand it’s like candy and cupids and hearts and sunshine and all those generic symbols of love that never explain it just right those words never explain that feeling just right, it’s catching your breath, falling from an airplane it’s climbing a mountain, it’s standing on a glacier, it’s following dolphins, it’s swimming with sharks it’s turning your head and seeing those fingers interlocked with yours as you’re walking in stride because when those fingers are interlocked you want to hold on for your life you now have something you’ve never felt all       just by holding his hand

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