Some hours later the spot is still present
I’ve been writing a mixture of things for some ten years and been thinking about writing these things for a lot longer. I wrote a lot as a child and then life blocked my way. The construction industry sapped my creativity, although as a plasterer (which I believe is the only creative trade there is) I had time to think as the wicked stuff began to set. I continue to be set in my ways.
Spot
Taking everything into account, it marred the face
Whichever way you looked
Holding the mirror to one side, or the other
Fixing the angle below the chin
One slight squeeze wouldn’t hurt
It should be ignored, as the experts say,
It could take weeks to go away
More slight squeezing to the region
Blighted the area to a shade of crimson
It now resembled an active volcano
Infected with a molten puss
That spat and sprayed and stayed for days
Don’t keep touching – it may spread
If it gets worse, take to your bed
Firstly – wash the area thoroughly
Then moisturise with a well known product
Apply the face pack to an inch thickness
Look in the mirror
Cry
Some hours later the spot is still present
Its presence is resented
Staying indoors for a month is an option
Or finding out where the balaclava is hiding
Shopping online is, of course, the way forward
Make friends with a neighbour
Remove the mask
Look at the mirror from a distance
Futility and resistance
Call a friend who has acute acne
Ask what they’d do in such desperate circumstances
The long tone of being cut off
Look out of the window, but catch a reflection
Of the offending appendage
Turn on the wireless – more bombs in Syria
Always more trivia
Stephen Holloway
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