patchwork

peel back gauze soaked in blood, other fluids whose names i never learned.

grey’s anatomy prepped me for this, i say.

skin grows over what once gaped, gushed, tore.

it kind of looks like blue cheese.

we laugh, but it’s not funny.

stitches are gone but pins remain, hooked ends like candy canes.

i don’t knit, but maybe i should start. i’ve gotten good at …