Steven Hunley
04-16-2011, 01:50 AM
The Disease Needle
by
Steven Hunley
We have, in the sewing chest, what I call “the disease needle”. It’s the only one left in the house. It’s popped more than a few pimples in its day. There’s some kind of green line around its middle that wasn’t there when we bought it. It used to be bright and shiny. Now it’s not. It's been under too many nails scrapping away dead skin and other things unknown or unwanted.
It has popped open a blister or two in its time, usually on a heel or a foot, but not always. Poked and prodded and pricked various bumps and swellings that turned out didn’t need it. I think once the cat had a swelling on his leg, all pussy and foul. You guessed it. Something stuck right there between your teeth? You guessed it again. Now there’s something kind of brown and rusty along the side and on the tip.
It used to be sharp. Now it’s dull. It got dull opening too many tubes of Super Glue. We spent half its life drowning in hydrogen peroxide and the other half over holding it over a flame. We tortured it, just like the Inquisition. Just like the Santa Hermandad.
Sometimes I think we even sewed with it.
So maybe we outta get a new one.
Tell me you don’t have one too.
by
Steven Hunley
We have, in the sewing chest, what I call “the disease needle”. It’s the only one left in the house. It’s popped more than a few pimples in its day. There’s some kind of green line around its middle that wasn’t there when we bought it. It used to be bright and shiny. Now it’s not. It's been under too many nails scrapping away dead skin and other things unknown or unwanted.
It has popped open a blister or two in its time, usually on a heel or a foot, but not always. Poked and prodded and pricked various bumps and swellings that turned out didn’t need it. I think once the cat had a swelling on his leg, all pussy and foul. You guessed it. Something stuck right there between your teeth? You guessed it again. Now there’s something kind of brown and rusty along the side and on the tip.
It used to be sharp. Now it’s dull. It got dull opening too many tubes of Super Glue. We spent half its life drowning in hydrogen peroxide and the other half over holding it over a flame. We tortured it, just like the Inquisition. Just like the Santa Hermandad.
Sometimes I think we even sewed with it.
So maybe we outta get a new one.
Tell me you don’t have one too.