A bubble on my ankle, slightly red, hard to see.
Itchy. Soft and squishy.
Immediately I think it’s gotta be a tick
Engorged and floppy, ready to be picked.
Or a worm, burrowed, safe and warm,
or spider eggs buried against the bone.
Yesterday spent in grass and weeds,
immersed in brush and under trees.
Just as likely, it’s poison ivy.
A gentle squeeze, it bursts, it rips,
it oozes, drips. The itching spreads,
my hands, my head,
Each blemish poked,
prodded, checked.
A bump sits below my neck, raw and sore,
is it a freckle? Something more?
My bubble drains. It’s damp and yellow;
it dyes my skin a jaundiced stain.
Nothing seems to be alive,
creeping, spreading, threatening
my life, my thoughts, my brain.
The Other Stuff 
Oh my gosh, since I have started hitting the trails I have left with my share of ticks. When I see one, I feel like there are at least ten on me I do not see. That totally messes with my brain. Then, the other day sitting watching Declan swim, a wasp got me on the bottom of my thigh. It hurt so bad – but – I had to act cool and all. But that darn experience has haunted me. I can’t sit still and am on constant vigilance. I can so relate to this one!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I pretty much never get ticks. It amazes me. There’s a part of the battlefield I run across with tall grass that brushes up as high as my shirt. I never find any ticks after that. Sophie and Susan hiked it recently and they were plucking off ticks for hours. I haven’t been stung in a few years so it’s sort of out of my mind what it’s like. The last time was eight stings though. I’ve met my quota for a few years.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! What wordplay! The imagery so gross yet I couldn’t look away. Hope everything is alright though!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks CJ. Everything seems fine. The bubble is still unidentified though.
LikeLike
Very gross, but great writing.
Yucky bugs… blech. I only have to deal with fleas, spiders and occasionally the disgusting American Cockroach… those suckers fly😱🤢
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fleas absolutely freak me out, as do ticks. Other than that, I’m not squeamish about bugs at all. Fleas are the worst.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Whoa. Great writing; you made me squirm. Burrowing bugs are the worst, following by biting ones. Run!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Rebecca. Fleas and Ticks are the ones that bother me, and theoretically bedbugs–but I’ve never seen one,
LikeLike
Ooh. Yuck. I felt it burrowing in my leg as I read this. At least the experience prompted an excellent piece of creative writing.
LikeLike
Thank you Mark
LikeLike
Totally gross descriptions. I hate tick. Hope it’s not one of those.
LikeLike
Unidentified, but on the mend.
LikeLike
Itching to know what it was … 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not a tick and it doesn’t seem to be poison ivy. I’m just not sure. It’s a perfectly round scab now.
LikeLike
😂Awesome reply!
LikeLike
So descriptive. Wish I had eaten my chicken salad sandwich BEFORE reading.😂😍. I love how your writing makes me feel things viscerally. Awesome!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry, poking around your blog looking for your name, Thank you for this comment. IA great pick me up when I needed one.
LikeLike
I have the recurring kind of Lyme disease. Your post gave me the creeps just reading it! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
You beat me to it, Laurie; I was just going to mention Lyme Disease, not because I’ve got it, but because my friend has. It’s a nasty condition, I know. I hope you’re not too poorly with it. X 🌹
LikeLike
Your post has me itching and checking for bugs. Great post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jeff can be so gross!! Ew!! FANTASTIC!🤣😎
LikeLiked by 2 people
I could feel that damn thing worming its way into the hypochondria region of my brain.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks DD. I often feel like that after the person I’m hiking with finds a tick on their leg. Suddenly I’m overrun with invisible parasites. It’s a bad combo for someone whose favorite places include deeply wooded areas.
LikeLike
Great, albeit yucky poem, Jeff. It’s made me itch now 😉!
LikeLike