Shawn L. Bird

Original poetry, commentary, and fiction. All copyrights reserved.

poem- itch January 22, 2015

Filed under: Poetry — Shawn L. Bird @ 12:39 pm
Tags: , , , ,

I twitch and twitch

and still these stitches itch.

Beneath the cast are plainly massed

all itches of the world

I can not scratch beneath the cast

and so must twitch

and dream of when the itch is fixed.

 

32 Responses to “poem- itch”

  1. Megha Patel's avatar Megha Patel Says:
    January 22, 2015 at 12:43 pm

    love it! I have been in a cast and it is so annoying!

    Reply
  2. lightwalker1's avatar lightwalker1 Says:
    January 22, 2015 at 12:47 pm

    A knitting needle is an excellent scratcher of itches beneath casts. If not a knitting needle maybe a chopstick would work. Only if there is no broken skin. I hope you heal quickly In love and light Cheryle

    Reply
  3. eatingantbums's avatar eatingantbums Says:
    January 22, 2015 at 1:20 pm

    Broke my arm last April, totally can relate to this feeling. Plus I think the assonance fits well 🙂

    Reply
  4. onewithclay's avatar onewithclay Says:
    January 22, 2015 at 2:15 pm

    itches from stitches?
    the nerve system twitches,
    a glitch in the ditches
    of endings and switches.

    it’s normal for matches
    of itches with scratches,
    but suchlike unlatches
    infectious dispatches.

    and so, shawn, i’m telling,
    and hope i’m compelling,
    that you wait till swelling
    subsides, itch-dispelling.

    best wishes,

    gary

    Reply
    • Shawn L. Bird's avatar Shawn L. Bird Says:
      January 22, 2015 at 9:55 pm

      lol Well done, Gary!

      The stitches came out today, so much of the itch has been dispelled. At least I have an air cast now, so I can actually open it up if I need a scratch!

      Reply
  5. trentpmcd's avatar trentpmcd Says:
    January 22, 2015 at 2:24 pm

    Is this based on recent experience?

    Reply
  6. davidprosser's avatar davidprosser Says:
    January 22, 2015 at 2:42 pm

    When I was crazed by itch all day
    a knitting needle found the way.

    Reply
    • Shawn L. Bird's avatar Shawn L. Bird Says:
      January 22, 2015 at 9:54 pm

      I specifically warned by medical staff that NOTHING was to be inserted into the cast if I was itching, because it could damage the cast damaged skin. The itch was at the stitch line though, and wouldn’t stick anything near there, fearing ripping the incision open.

      Reply
  7. Sagittarian Seeker's avatar righteousbruin9 Says:
    January 22, 2015 at 2:54 pm

    An itch means healing
    But doesn’t stop the squealing.

    Reply
  8. howardat58's avatar howardat58 Says:
    January 22, 2015 at 5:45 pm

    This so neat ! But I’m scratching already.

    Reply
  9. The Hopeful Herbalist's avatar The Hopeful Herbalist Says:
    January 23, 2015 at 6:44 am

    I’m scratching in sympathy, hope it heals soon!

    Reply
  10. mpmckibbon's avatar mpmckibbon Says:
    January 23, 2015 at 8:55 am

    Oh my, I have so been there and done that. It can drive you crazy. I sympathize.

    Reply
  11. floridaborne's avatar floridaborne Says:
    January 23, 2015 at 8:23 pm

    Even thought it was long ago, I remember the annoyance of having a cast past the elbow. I had to use the flea collar off a German Shepard because nothing else was pliable enough to get to the itch. You’d think that medical science could come up with an alternative to casts.

    Just having the cast replaced by something you can take off if you need to means you’re well on your way to healing and as far away from the cast as possible.

    Reply
    • Shawn L. Bird's avatar Shawn L. Bird Says:
      January 23, 2015 at 11:10 pm

      Well, they have changes with a movement toward splints, aka air casts. Plaster casts are free at the hospital. Not sure why the orthopaedic surgeon decided I needed 10 days in the fibreglass cast before I was to switch to the air cast.

      Reply
      • floridaborne's avatar floridaborne Says:
        January 24, 2015 at 3:44 am

        Glad to hear you’re in an air cast. Plaster casts are miserable.

        I read your poem “Once,” about virtual well-wishers. Very, very true! 🙂

        16 or 17 years ago, I fell down the stairs and my foot got caught between the wooden steps. Childbirth was easier to take than that kind of pain. The orthopedic surgeon, looked up at me ad said, “It would’ve been better if you’d broken it.” Apparently, it’s worse when the muscles, ligaments and tendons are frayed and broken than the bone. I spent months in a cast and wasn’t out of the splint for a year.

        Whatever you did to break a bone, I hope you don’t try to do it again– until the amnesia sets in.

      • Shawn L. Bird's avatar Shawn L. Bird Says:
        January 24, 2015 at 3:54 am

        You poor thing.
        After 4 days of snow (25″) then freezing rain, I slipped going to get the mail and ended with a spiral fracture of the fibula.

      • floridaborne's avatar floridaborne Says:
        January 24, 2015 at 4:06 am

        I used to live in Wisconsin and your story sounds eerily familiar, but I was a lot luckier. Ouch!

        The roaches in Florida may be 3 inches long, but that’s preferable to northern winters.

      • Shawn L. Bird's avatar Shawn L. Bird Says:
        January 24, 2015 at 4:28 am

        lol

        Humidity in Florida…

      • floridaborne's avatar floridaborne Says:
        January 24, 2015 at 5:43 am

        Born and raised here. I’m not really warm until it hits 95 degrees. 🙂

      • Shawn L. Bird's avatar Shawn L. Bird Says:
        January 24, 2015 at 11:03 pm

        We have lovely summers in that temperature zone- but dry, so it’s not sweltering. 🙂

  12. Jason Tomlinson's avatar Jason Tomlinson Says:
    January 24, 2015 at 5:04 am

    It’s so interesting to follow the story of your healing. I’ve often thought that a perceptive poet can pretty easily find profound meaning in pain. Your evidence certainly supports.

    Reply

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