Tuesday Slice: What's done is done

 

Nothing came out on the first try, so

I struggled with the small white tube, squeeeezing

All the way from the flat crimped end to the tip, less

Than four inches away.

For a split second, I was hopeful that it was

Empty, but then a small bit squiggled out, landing

On my fingernail, just enough to cover the

Seven marks on my belly.

This belly that still looks like it's five months

Pregnant, even though it hasn't carried a

Baby in almost three decades, can't at all since

That factory was razed.

This belly that is scarred in seven places, ranging

From barely-there to pink to dark brown lines.

For five months, I have dutifully applied the gel from

That four-inch-long tube, dabbing it on each mark after

Emerging from the shower, so it can dry before

I get dressed.

I am so over it, as they say.

So once this tube is done, I'm done.

Scars or no scars, it's time to move on.