Kimberly O'Connor

for C

Seven women and one man
stand in a straight line
with hands held
palm outward at chest height
as if they were saying stop

and stare right into
the camera—

but it’s not like stop at all—
the angle and curve of their thumbs

creates a gentleness
and the caption tells us
what they are doing

is sending healing energy
to whoever views this picture.

The ones wearing white could be ghosts
though the one in wide stripes grounds
the lot of them Toledo, Ohio, 1980.
The trees in the background seem like peers.

I looked and felt a tingle.
Do you believe in what you can’t see?
Find the photo and tell me.