may 30, 2006

14 times i've awakened to this itching
in the middle of my back
in that one place i can't reach.
i've tried using the doorframe
but the wood is too dull
and the carpet, for once,
despite my slithering about like a salted slug,
is too soft for the job.
the water from my showerhead
is a mere trickle now that i need
a deluge
and i can't seem to find
one of those handy little plastic arms
in green or blue, or my favorite, red
to reach back there and solve the problem.
the problem i'm having
with this smug little nuisance
is that its goody two-shoed tenacity
is keeping me awake.
when all of your muscles and
all of your nerves converse
(with one another)
about the admirable little itch
in the lower middle quadrant
of the skin above the spine,
there is very little peace to be found
above the ruckus.
so instead i fade to gray,
my skin and eyes losing pallor,
my tongue drying out
and my hair more brittle, despite
this enticing new conditioner i use,
and lie, on my back of course,
hoping to suffocate the itch
that works harder than i ever have.



It still shows up to nag every now and then.