Self Harm, Flesh Wound

 

I’d never seen anything quite like it

I do not even remember blood

The flesh separated

It was deep

Pulp pushed out

The skin on your forearm curled back

You cackled & cackled

Denied medical attention

The wound healed all wrong

That taut shine that filled in the gap

A tiny halfpipe on your arm

No tattoo could cover up

It was more than a reminder

This was a tell

There were no limits

 


Mark Danowsky is Editor-in-Chief of ONE ART: a journal of poetry. He is author of several short poetry collections including, most recently, Meatless (Plan B Press). His poems and other writing have been curated in many journals including Alba, The New Verse News, anti-heroin chic, Right Hand Pointing, The Broadkill Review, Gargoyle, Otoliths, and elsewhere.