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Orangutan
Once upon a time, in her mother’s arms, a little girl with golden hair
Received a benediction from a person of the forest—or,
A small orangutan, in a zookeeper’s arms, reached across a
Narrow, forbidden space to feel the fine, staticky strands.
Gasps from the keeper, the mother—in their held breath, a moment
Under the spell of a familiar mystery. She feels the gentle hand,
The size of hers, the curious fingers and thumb. How different? How
Alike? Impossible to measure. And so a kind of prayer, since in all the years,
No other touch has held such tenderness—let every first caress be this.
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