Hello, Hello by Susan L.

  So I madly scribbled a piece to read for writer's group last night. Six thirty saw me racing out the door so I'd be there on time. Halfway there I realised the group was last Tuesday. How had I missed it? Oh, yah, hurt back. I chuckled. Silly me. The theme was "how to..." and this is what was inspired:

  The how to how do you do greeting:
  A curtsey if the regal queen in all her finery is before you but only if you're female.
  Shaking hands traditions:
  Limp, fingers only, palm to palm firm, (always be firm the experts say it apparently makes the best impression. A lesson the politicians know well).
  Damp, dry, hard, soft, calloused, smooth,
  Gentle when the aged hand that's grasped is gnarled and frail,
  A squeeze to much to bear.
  The double cheeked kiss that never connects,
  An ear buzzing, puckered smack from between pursed lips.
  The space invader returns to the safety of their own,
  "It's so good to see you!"
  The full on bear hug for a friend, for comfort, for encouragement.
  Tears if it's one long lost but found once again.
  More if it's your love.
  The maiden's blush, the young man's flush and stammer of the ages,
  "Will you d-d-dance with me?"
  A nod across a crowded conference room,
  The I-see-you-and-am-glad-to-know-I-am-not-alone.
  A fleeting car horn toot simply to toot your own horn
  At a neighbour on the sidewalk,
  "Hi! Hello! I know you! How cool is that!"
  Even if a mistake is made and it wasn't who you thought
  They smile and wave right away and wonder as you pass,
  "Who was that?"
  The bended knee, the squat, the eye to eye
  To include a child hiding shyly behind a leggy fortress.
  A baby wave enough to make everyone grin with more than parental pride.
  "See? There's nothing to fear."
  To greet: to hail, to salute and welcome,
  Thesaurus words short listed but falling short of the meaning, the depth,
  The importance,
  Of a thousand thousand ways that say,
  "How incredibly pleased I am to have you in my life!"

  As I was writing, I couldn't shake the image of the Lord doing the greeting, except for the curtsey.
  "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thes 1:1