Eczema

By Holly Voorsanger

The eczema has spread to my left pinkie and,
I am not ambidextrous, but
Evidently, skin conditions are. 

Wounds have a heartbeat and,
My eczema indeed has a heartbeat but,
My heartbeat does not have eczema (so far).

Mother tells me to clip my nails short and,
I understand why she doesn’t want to look at them but,
Will the heartbeat lessen if I cut the wound shorter?

I get excited when I decide to start scratching and,
It is a headfirst swan dive into the bloody no man’s land and,
Maybe if I scratch hard enough I will reach bone.

The tall doctor told me I am a lifelong candidate for eczema and,
I am too young to know the meaning of the word lifelong but,
Perhaps he means that the eczema will make my life long.