Saving the World

I know a guy with no hands.
He had hands
            before I knew him.
Lost a fight with a spinning blade
            In a machine 
            he was creating.
The machine 
            was going to 
            Save the world.

I asked him how one machine could save the world.
He asked back, “Do you think the world needs saving?”
I thought about it 
             But had no answer.

He clapped his stumps and said,
“Ha!”

“Wait” I said, “Maybe I don’t understand the question.”

He asked, “Are butterflies beautiful 
              before they struggle to get out 
              of their cocoon?”
Would sunsets take your breath away
             without particles in the air?
Are hands what make us human?”

“I guess no would be the answer 
              to all of your questions.”

“Are you sure?” he asked.

Again, I thought about it
             but had no answer.

“Well, without my hands I will not be able to make the machine.
So, I guess we’ll never know.”

And I thought,
“Yea, I want to save the world
             but
             I’m a poet 
             with no hands.”